


It Doesn't Matter Where We Are (As Long As I'm With You)

by ArchWriter



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Allison Argent & Vernon Boyd & Erica Reyes, Alive Hale Family, Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Comfort/Angst, Emissary Stiles Stilinski, Everybody Lives, F/M, Gen, M/M, Original Character(s), Pack Dynamics, Pack Feels, Post-Season/Series 06, Slow Build, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-30
Updated: 2017-12-17
Packaged: 2019-01-07 05:49:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 75,510
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12227013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArchWriter/pseuds/ArchWriter
Summary: Liam and Theo go out in the woods to look for fae causing trouble, and they find themselves in a whole new world of trouble. Literally.OrThe alternate universe fic nobody asked for, but here it is anyway. It mirrors similar, but not exactly the same, events in canon, and it's a slow burn to reach the end.





	1. Prelude

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Play It Again](https://archiveofourown.org/works/862320) by [metisket](https://archiveofourown.org/users/metisket/pseuds/metisket). 



> So after writing that short Thiam fic earlier, and watching the (very open-ended) Teen Wolf finale, I finally got myself convince to *finally* write this idea I've had for the longest time into a fic. Just as the tags indicate, it's an AU fic where everything is *somewhat* better, but things still go wrong.  
> I've always toyed with the idea of a totally different version of Beacon Hills where everything is slightly "better", and with the established dynamic between Liam and Theo in the last season, I thought it would be a fun fic to write them in. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Very loosely inspired by metisket's "Play It Again".

Liam felt like the world turned upside down and his body turned inside out at the same time. He grovelled on the ground as he tried to catch his breath. Not far from him, he heard someone dry heaving into a nearby bush. It took him a few seconds to reorient himself, check himself for injuries, and come to the conclusion that although he felt like shit at the moment, he was otherwise fine.

So was Theo, who was making his way towards him.

Theo’s expression was a magnificent facade – Liam could almost fool himself into thinking that it was another person retching into some shrubbery just a few moments ago. Theo looked guarded and instantly alert, his eyes roaming the surrounding area for any foes that would jump him. Liam strained his senses as much as he could at the moment, and relaxed a bit at the realization that they were on their own.

Well, as alone as they could get in a dark forest anyways.

Liam tried to remember what they were doing in the forest. He remembers a call from Peter Hale, saying that the rejuvenated Nemeton had begun acting up again, this time summoning dangerous beings capable of magic. Liam remembers scoffing at the loose call the elder Hale gave him, but when Peter mentioned that Scott, Stiles, _and_ Lydia had felt the pull of the tree from all across where they were, Liam knew it was serious.

Naturally, after trying to make a few calls, he rushed off to Deaton’s place to ask the vet for advice, but upon arriving at the clinic, he has found the place ransacked and in disarray.

“I see you’ve sensed it as well. The Nemeton playing tricks on you as well?”

Liam spun around and came face to face with Theo, who looked surprisingly worn out. He was in his usual faded jeans and long-sleeved shirt, denim jacket looking loose on him. Liam could’ve sworn he saw Theo suppress a flinch from every little sound in the clinic, as if he was being hypersensitive at the moment.

“Peter called. What are you doing here? What happened?” Liam asked the chimera.

“I could ask you the same thing. And I don’t know, other than looking like the whole place was ransacked by some powerful fae.”

“Fae?”

“Fae. They’re magical creatures. Kinda like fairies, except more human in appearance and a lot less Tinker Bell levels of helpful.”

“How do you know and how are you so sure?”

Theo turned to look at metal gurney at the middle of the room. There was a huge dent on one side, like a body had crashed hard into it. He could smell the faint curling scent of iron wafting from it.

The smell of blood.

“The Dread Doctors had a lot of supernatural creatures to experiment with. Witches and fae were among them. And the smell of the earth here – it’s an old kind of magic. Ancient and powerful. Witches or druids aren’t capable of this kind of powerful magic.”

“How dangerous are they?”

Theo sighed. “I don’t know. But these specific ones seem to be really strong. They must’ve sensed Deaton’s a druid, and came for him to feed off of his affinity for being an Emissary.”

“Why Deaton? Why get to an emissary?” Liam asked, but he doesn’t wait for Theo to reply to remember what Peter told him over the phone.

_“Aggressive supernatural beings, especially ones with affinity for magic, have a propensity to go for sources of great power. Like a dark druid tapping into the power of the Nemeton to sustain it, magical creatures seek out great sources of magic. I suppose you could try to check in with our local vet and see what he has to say about this.”_

He says the last part to Theo, and the other boy sighs.

“If Deaton was going to be the key to this, then we’re screwed. Doesn’t Peter know anything else?”

“Peter said other than the fact he knows magical creatures seek out sources of power, he doesn’t know much. I reckon Mason could do research for us but...”

“We don’t have time at the moment,” Theo finished for him. Liam considered his options. If Peter was no help, then neither would Derek regardless of his current presence in Beacon Hills. Most likely, he would stick close to Peter to keep an eye on his uncle from doing anything crazy. Mason and Corey are out of the equation, previous reasons pointed out earlier. Chris Argent, to his surprise, was out of coverage when he tried to call him after ending Peter’s call. Malia was in France, Lydia in MIT, Stiles in Washington, and Scott was with Ethan and Jackson in London to check out other locations of Nemetons in the world, so all of Liam’s viable options for help were currently unavailable.

Except, of course, for Theo.

Liam came to a weird realization in that the moment that he doesn’t mind this exactly, but what did surprise him was his immediate acceptance that Theo was his default partner-in-crime these days. Mason was his best friend, but a human could only go so far as to handle Liam’s bursts of unrestrained wolfy rage from time to time. Also, Mason had Corey. Scott McCall, as his Alpha, would be the best choice, but Scott left Beacon Hills in the beta’s care to teach him to grow and be independent on the Alpha, who Liam saw as his default authority figure.

Despite their previous challenging history, Liam has found Theo’s company rather tolerable, pleasant even at times, and although they don’t schedule when they see each other, the number of times they do accidentally run into each other in town was ridiculously high. It was during some moments of inescapable company and awkward conversations and even snarky exchanges that they have developed an easier acquaintance, one that is thankfully not bound on the careless trust they put in each other when they and the McCall pack are in trouble of getting killed in general.

_“I won’t die for you.”_

_“I won’t die for you either, but I would fight with you.”_

So it is with this situation that Liam surmises he and Theo found themselves in wandering in the forest, but to Liam’s discovery, the last memory he has is getting out of his car and Theo standing beside him.

“Wandering into the forest at night to look for a dead body. Huh, would you look at that. We’re pulling a Scott and Stiles.” Liam glared at Theo’s remark.

“We are _not_ looking for a dead body. We’re looking for Deaton and some fae.”

“Don’t be naive Liam. These kind of fae suck the magic out of others by consuming their life force. These ones feel like they wouldn’t hold back.”

“Deaton’s been alive through all the crap that’s happened in Beacon Hills. I don’t think he’d get done in by some magic-sucking creatures after all this time.”

“I suppose so.” Theo hummed, and the last thing Liam could recall is Theo looking at him with a strange expression on his face, like he was worried but trying to appear nonchalant, an expression Liam has come to discover as one of the chimera’s more effective poker faces.

And the next thing he remembers, bam, retching in the woods.

Liam took a quick survey of Theo. He looked relatively unharmed as well, his clothes littered with dried leaves and a bit of dirt but otherwise fine. They both looked like they haven’t suffered any physical injuries, but he didn’t disregard the possibility of any other kind of damage they might have taken.

“What happened? Do you remember?” Theo asked when he got close to Liam.

Liam shook his head. “No. Last thing I remember was going in the forest with you.”

“The same as me then.”

“What do you think happened?”

“What do you think?” Theo threw back, “we must’ve been attacked by the fae. The only thing I can pinpoint as out of ordinary is that the woods smell a little different.”

Liam closed his eyes and focused on his sense of smell. The woods itself smelled pretty much the same – plants, animals, bugs, the smell of earth and dried foliage. But the longer Liam took in his surroundings, the more subtle details he noticed were off. The woods smelled of vibrant life – exotic scents he could only attribute to other supernatural creatures being active, and for some reason, familiar scents as well.

It was a fading scent, but he could recognize the scent of the detergent Scott and Stiles used on their clothes, Lydia’s expensive perfume, and another perfumed scent, mixed with wolfsbane. Which would’ve been impossible, since it had been weeks since any of his three older packmates had been in the forest for their scents to linger this much.

All of a sudden a scent crashes into their periphery, and it was coming at them fast. It smelled of adrenaline and power, as well as curiosity. Liam opened his eyes and saw Theo beside him tense, yellow eyes glowing in the dark. Liam took a stance to cover Theo’s blind spot, and they stood back to back prepared to face the fast approaching threat.

Not a moment too soon, the unknown being steps out from the shadows and into the loose patch of ground Theo and Liam found themselves in. The assailant was an older woman, taller than both of them, with long dark brown hair that appeared black in the night. She had beautiful green eyes that glowed yellow as they met eyes, a stance of easy confidence and concealed strength that Liam only ever saw in Derek and Peter and occasionally Scott, and it was in that second that they realized they were in front of a werewolf, and a powerful one at that.

“Well this is a surprise. Who are you and what are you doing in these woods? This is private property.” The woman asked, tone light but eyes heavily probing.

Liam thought of a quick answer. “We were just passing by. We were leaving – ”

“We were looking for fae,” came Theo’s direct answer. Liam swiveled his head at the chimera and tried telepathically asking him if they were asking for trouble. Theo only glanced back briefly, his face pulled into a smirk that tried emulating the woman’s confidence.

“Fae? There are fae now?” The woman sounded incredulous. “First the human sacrifices, then the rogue hunters, and now fae?” The woman narrowed her eyes at them. “Alright, identify yourselves and state your real intentions here on our territory.”

Liam turned his head in disbelief. Before Theo could fire back a response, he quickly answered the woman. “ _Your_ territory? This is Hale land, which is currently under _our_ protection. You’re the one trespassing.”

The woman’s eyebrows shot upward. “ _Your_ protection? Me, trespassing? Kids, the only thing you got right in that statement was that this is Hale land, and that would mean me and my family are the protectors of this land and not you.”

Liam was instantly lost. She and her family? But Scott hadn’t mentioned any family related to the pack that served as Beacon Hills protectors other than the Hales. And the reason that Beacon Hills is under the McCall pack’s protection is because Peter and Derek deferred that responsibility mostly to Scott as the two older Hales became part of the pack.

She must be wrong. It must’ve been a trick by the fae to confuse them. There are no other protectors or packs residing in Beacon County other than them, especially after the last Hunter War with Gerard and Monroe, and the only possibility of the woman’s words to be true is that if she was somehow a Hale family member that none of them had encountered yet. Could it be Cora? Except Liam knows Cora is younger than Derek, almost closer in age to him than any of the older pack members, and Cora is somewhere in South America last time he asked.

The sinking feeling that started in Liam’s stomach since he found himself dry heaving on the forest floor sank deeper. If this was a form of magic trickery the fae have come up with, it was a pretty convincing one. He and Theo shared a meaningful look and came to the same thought: this was more than just a petty trick of magic.

“My name’s Liam Dunbar, and this is Theo Raeken. And you are?”

All of a sudden, the woman’s face looked even more surprised, like the two of them suddenly grew another set of heads on their shoulders.

“Liam...Dunbar?”

Liam and Theo shared another look. Theo was uncharacteristically quiet during the exchange, letting Liam handle it. “Yes, my name’s Liam. Is there a problem?”

The woman shook her lost expression and pulled back the easy confident facade. She smiles, all teeth, and introduced herself.

“Welcome to Beacon Hills, Liam, Theo. My name is Laura Hale.”


	2. Part 1: Meetings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo meet old and new faces. Involves dinner, screaming, death announcements, and reunions.

There was a tense moment before Liam or Theo could respond. Laura Hale? _Laura_ Hale? Liam hadn’t heard much from Scott or Stiles, but he was told enough to paint a clear picture of how everything began for his Alpha.

From what he had been told of their pack’s history is that the entire Hale family died in a house fire courtesy of Kate Argent, and only Derek and her older sister Laura had made it out of that ordeal none the worse for wear. Peter was in a coma for years, and Cora had somehow escaped to South America all that time. The older Hale siblings have fled to New York to start anew. They had lived their lives in New York in relative peace for a few years, but when strange things started happening in Beacon Hills, Laura came back to see what the trouble was.

That was when a rogue werewolf killed her, stole her Alpha powers, and run amok in Beacon Hills. That was how Scott got bitten by the rogue Alpha, who they later discovered was the insane revenge-seeking Peter Hale who has woken up to extract his vengeance upon the Argents.

The rest of course, was history.

The point was Laura was dead. _Laura Hale is supposed to be dead_. Liam’s thoughts rushed madly around his mind, not knowing what to think. He felt Theo grab hold of his wrist, and he calms down enough to not work himself into a panic attack.

The very-much-not-dead Laura Hale stared at them openly, not disguising her mistrust and curiosity towards them. She stood proud and sure of herself, but also keeping a guarded stance, solid and exerting an aura of authority that Liam is sure not even powerful magic can create. The woman before them is very much real, but how much of her is actually Laura Hale is yet to be seen.

Not that he or Theo could tell, seeing as not even Scott himself has met the certain Hale, and Derek wasn’t very forthcoming regarding his deceased family members. There is terse silence after Laura has introduced herself, but as much as Liam wishes to break the silence, he is out of words to say at the moment. Thankfully, Theo launches into an explanation for them.

“We sensed that there was something wrong tonight, and it reeked of magic. We came to ask someone we trust for information, but his place was ransacked and we came to the conclusion he was kidnapped by fae.”

“So naturally, you came to the forest.” Laura stated, tone heavy with cynicism.

“The forest reeked of magic some time ago,” Theo chanced a look at Liam before continuing, “but now...”

“The scent is gone?” Laura finished, phrasing it as a question. “So you’re telling me you had been in the forest looking for magical creat – _fae_ and you expect me to believe you?”

“It’s the truth!” Liam blurted. “Listen to our heartbeats! We’re not lying!”

“I wouldn’t know; omegas can have such strange talents. And your friend here,” Laura said, jerking her head at the Theo’s direction, “doesn’t even smell like a regular werewolf. You think I’d believe a couple of omegas that just popped out of nowhere in the woods with that kind of story?”

“We’re not omegas, we’re part of a pack.” Liam replied quickly. He saw Theo’s surprise in his body language when he said ‘ _we’_ ; they both know that while Scott expressed his gratitude for Theo’s help in the Hunter War, there was no vocal invitation for Theo to join the pack. If anything, Theo’s help had redeemed him in Scott’s eyes, and while his continued presence in Beacon Hills was no longer considered questionable by Scott’s pack in general, Liam knew it was quite a different thing to be accepted as a friend than it was to truly be part of the pack.

As far as Liam was concerned though? Theo was his pack just as Mason and Corey were, so he wasn’t lying to Laura at all.

“And what pack do you belong to exactly?” Laura asked.

“The McCall pack. Scott McCall is our Alpha.”

~

The Beacon Hills Preserve was a huge parcel of protected land to conserve forestry and wildlife. The present caretakers and occupants of the preserve were a duly recognized family that had lived on the land for generations. Being the preserve’s caretakers was the county’s deal with the family in exchange for letting them occupy the land, which the family did not mind at all since they loved the land and staying close to nature.

Hence, the Hale family stayed and protected Beacon Hills preserve against the natural and supernatural upsets that came their way, and they did an excellent job at that.

Heading the family was the matriarch, Talia Hale, Alpha of the Hale wolves.

The Hale mansion stood proudly in the middle of the preserve, housing the main Hale family and extended family, and served as the most important gathering place for meetings regarding the supernatural world. The house was usually filled with loud chatter and the occasional growls from the kids still learning to grow in their werewolf growth, the entire place smelling of pine, wolf, and a sense of security – smelling like home.

Tonight though, the mansion was silent for once, as most of its younger residents have been displaced from the mansion to another location, as Talia was to host a council meeting over her trusted confidants. She doesn’t want anybody that doesn’t need to be involved in the meeting to overhear anything unnecessary, so the house was mostly deserted. Talia walked quietly around the dining table, preparing her guests’ dinner.

“Quite the feast you’ve prepared Talia. I take it we have a lot to discuss tonight?”

Alan Deaton stood by the dining room’s entrance, dressed in his usual jeans and long-sleeved shirt. The emissary took a step inside and greeted Talia with a warm one-armed hug, and handed her a bottle of wine.

“Oh Alan, you didn’t have to,” Talia smiled.

“I know how meetings like this usually go. If all of us are meeting, we’re going to need alcohol, especially one to get a few wolves present a little drunk.” Talia chuckled. She just finished washing the wine glasses a moment ago.

“Is it vintage at least?” A voice called from the kitchen.

“Half a century old, imported from Italy, mixed with my special solution of wolfsbane – not enough to kill, of course, but enough to pack a punch.”

Talia laughed and set he bottle on the table. From the kitchen, she could hear her brother hum in approval. Peter Hale strode out of the kitchen from where he had been making dessert, and took the wine from the table and had a look.

“Impressive Alan. Did you pick this up yourself?”

“I had it shipped yesterday.”

Peter harrumphed and placed the bottle back. “Color me only half-impressed then.”

Talia rolled her eyes at her brother’s dramatics as Alan only smiled, used to Peter’s antics. Kevin Hale, Talia’s husband, came in from the living room, followed by their son Derek. Her daughter, Laura, who was on watch tonight, was nowhere in their range.

“They’re here.” Kevin announced.

A few moments later, Talia heard their cars a few kilometres away, and in a few minutes finished setting the table just in time as the cars pulled up their driveway. Kevin and Derek went out to greet them at the door, just as Talia reached for Peter to ask him where Laura was.

“I can hear her a few kilometres away from here, but it seems she isn’t alone. She’s got company, and it looks like we’re getting two new unexpected guests tonight.” Before Talia could ask more, Kevin and Derek are back, their guests in tow.

Lucinda Martin looked as prim and proper as she always did, wearing her age with regal posture and an aura that impressed even Talia. She wore a pale flowing dress, making her look a little ghostly. Following her was Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital’s head nurse, Melissa McCall, who was responsible for the treatment of supernatural beings and their allies in times of trouble. She looked tired still dressed in her scrubs, but still held a smile, listening to Lucinda mutter softly about her daughter and granddaughter.

Sheriff Stilinski came in next, still in uniform and gun holster still clipped, but his gait was easy and relaxed, his face wearing an easy smile. Noshiko Yukimura followed, giving a polite nod to acknowledge Talia, and went to stand at the ladies side of the table. Last to enter was Chris Argent, prominent and retired hunter and local arms dealer, but still active in the hunter circles and community.

“It seems Laura is taking her time getting back. She’s talking with the stragglers – werewolves I think – but I can’t hear what they’re talking about. I think it would fine if we start without her,” Peter whispered in Talia’s ear.

Talia glared at his brother.

“We are not going to start without my daughter. Or have you forgotten that she is heir to Hale Alpha status?”

“I’m sure Peter hasn’t forgotten,” Deaton interjects before Peter could offer a comeback, “but there are discussions to be made and decisions needed to weigh, and I’m sure Laura wouldn’t mind if we started without her.”

“If anything, Laura would only mind that we started eating without her,” Kevin huffed amusedly at his wife, and took his place by the opposite end of the table, Derek following him. Talia sighed and motioned for everyone to sit. Alan sat directly at her right side, beside the ladies, and Peter sat with the men on her left. A seat was vacant between her and Peter, reserved for Laura.

After saying grace over the food, Talia stood up and made her customary welcome greeting.

“Welcome everyone and I hope you come to like dinner. I hope you don’t mind that we discuss while we dine, I’ve been told that things as they are cannot be ignored much further.”

Everyone nodded in good nature. “As long as this meeting doesn’t involve one of us trying to maim each other, then I don’t mind what it is you talk about.” Melissa shot cursory glances at Chris and Peter, and Lucinda chuckled.

“It would certainly provide entertainment if not for the obvious sexual tension between –”

“I suppose we should get down to business,” Sheriff Stilinski interrupted the elder banshee, and Talia cleared her throat once more.

“Alpha Deucalion has made contact with us a few days ago, and is asking permission for his pack to hunt down their prey which has hidden itself in Beacon Hills.

“And what prey are they thinking of hunting?” Chris Argent asked.

“A Darach.” Alan replied.

“A Darach?” Sheriff asked, his voice flat. Melissa appeared confused as well, but other than them, the rest of the room seemed to know what it was. Deaton continued to explain for their benefit.

“A Darach is a druid that has gone down the wrong path. It uses the same magic as I do, but their sources of power are in need of something more primal and raw, which in turn is a lot more powerful than your usual druid magic.”

“Human sacrifices.” Lucinda loftily chimed in.

“They hunt down their sacrifices in groups of three, and use the triple methods of killing: a blow to the head, strangulation, and sliced throat.”

“Well, there goes my appetite,” Sheriff mumbled.

“How many people have died?” Kevin asked.

“Ten,” Melissa, Chris, the Sheriff, and Lucinda replied. Talia realized that it made sense that the four of them already knew the body count: the Sheriff and Melissa have access to police reports and the hospital morgues, and Chris had informants in Beacon Hills. Naturally, Lucinda knew about the body count, sensing their deaths being a banshee.

“She’s started on the fourth group of sacrifices then.” Alan said.

The Sheriff raised an eyebrow. “She? So you know who she is then?”

“My sister Morell, Deucalion’s emissary, informed me that the Darach made a move against Kali’s pack. Kali was at odds with the person the Darach was before, and in the resulting fight, Kali and her entire pack were obliterated. The power to kill a pack on her own is already fearsome as it is, but Morell suspects that human sacrifices aren’t the only ones giving her a major boost in power. ”

“So she had her revenge and is now on a quest for greater power. What did the Darach do in Deucalion’s territory?” Chris asked.

“She killed a few of his betas who she encountered while prowling for sacrifices. Deucalion isn’t one to take this kind of offense lightly. I suspect Deucalion will hunt down the Darach in Beacon Hills even without our permission,” Talia said.

“So the discussion isn’t about if we should be letting Deucalion’s pack hunt in our territory, but rather the countermeasures we should take when the unavoidable hunting takes place,” Sheriff Stilinski concluded. Talia smiled, pleased at the Sheriff’s quick pick up of the situation.

“That’s right. Right now Laura, Peter, Felicia, Derek, and I are on shifts watching the forest at night on the lookout for anything strange.” Talia thought of what Peter told him that Laura was with company in the forest tonight, but did not say anything and decided they’d deal with it later.

“I’ll ask my deputies to be on the lookout for any strange behaviour in town, and to report to me immediately if anything weird goes on,” the Sheriff amended.

“I could ask my contacts to keep a lookout in town as well, especially in places the deputies wouldn’t look.” Chris added.

“The hospital staff will be prepared to accommodate any victims of strange injuries or murder, so rest assured, we’d have the bodies if you ever need them.” Melissa scooped a slice of lasagne in her mouth, unmindful of the present discussion.

“And as always I’ll stay cooped up at home waiting for the urge to scream as I fulfil my role as a living interactive death alarm,” Lucinda drawled. Talia cracked a smile; count on Lucinda to make dark discussions sound utterly mundane.

“And in the event everything goes out of hand?” Peter asked.

“We fight back,” Argent replied.

“And we fight smart,” Sheriff interjected. “I’ll impose a round the clock high alert patrol for the deputies at the least and a county-wide curfew as well at worst.”

“I’ll ask my hunters to keep away from harming civilians and focus on the right targets.”

“The Hale family will come to assist as well,” Kevin added, earning a nod from Talia, and continued, “we’ll make sure our human protectors have at least one member of the family keeping watch in the event of an unavoidable confrontation comes up.”

“Now this is a truly wonderful discussion on how best you can flaunt your influence and everything, really what a power move,” Lucinda interrupted archly, “but has it ever occurred to you that maybe instead of just countermeasures against the fight, we should also be thinking of how to best engage the situation? I realize that strategically, it’s best to wait for someone to make the first move before responding, but the best offense is sometimes the best offense.”

“I agree,” the Sheriff began slowly, “but what can we do against an enemy without much information?”

“We know that this Darach is powerful enough to raze an entire pack on her own,” Chris began, “what makes you think actively engaging in a fight with it that we stand a solid chance of winning?”

“Not to mention that pack laws dictate that Deucalion gets priority claim over her, since it was his pack that was harmed,” Deaton added, “if we actively engage in a fight against it, we could potentially be at odds against Deucalion and his claim.”

“But they’ll be in our territory. Wouldn’t that mean we also have claim over the situation?” Melissa asked.

“Yes, but since we are unharmed at the moment by the Darach, we have no solid claim and can only act on high watch against potential threats,” Peter answered.

“You’re all morons,” Lucinda huffed, “I didn’t say we fight, I said we should engage. What if there was a way to draw the Darach out in the open?”

The table erupted into chaos, with the Sheriff and Argent raising their voices on grounds of the banshee’s recklessness. Lucinda was equally raising her voice, and when Peter interjected saying something about Lucinda just wanting to do something interesting because she was bored, the raised voices turned to shouting. Melissa just kept eating, this time some salad, and Noshiko was silent, still not saying anything to contribute to the discussion.

Talia could feel her developed wolf senses being overwhelmed by the tension and volume of the dining table. She felt a nudge on her right hand and found Alan had placed an already filled wine glass in hand. She sighed and downed the whole glass. Kevin and Derek only tried to look apologetic, but it was clear they were just as amused and worried about the situation.

“The Darach can be drawn out in the open if we reveal my banshee status. She’d be interested to at least scope me out, and that’s a chance you could use to see if she’s a serious threat to take down immediately, and we could cooperate with Deucalion if necessary!” Lucinda shouted.

“Now you’re just putting yourself in danger!” Argent hollered.

“Well it’s not like there’s a way to identify the Darach without putting any of us in active risk!” the elder banshee screeched.

“There is actually.”

Everybody fell silent quickly and focused their attention on the new voice. Noshiko neatly finished chewing her salad before continuing. “If I use some of my tails to summon a few _oni_ to go around identifying supernaturals in the area, it would eventually come across the Darach and indentify it. The _oni_ would be unable to cause any great damage to it, and there’s a chance it won’t work since the oni is only meant to used against malevolent and evil possessive spirits, but it can measure its strength, and if a Darach practicing the dark arts gains power enough for its own soul to corrupt, then it could work.”

Everybody waited for Noshiko to finish. “This would then keep us on the defensive and still play an active role against the threat. When we identify the Darach, we could put our countermeasures to effect, direct Deucalion towards the threat, and hopefully, with the full knowledge of what we can expect, we can avoid major casualties from happening without revealing ourselves when it’s unnecessary.”

“The hospital can only admit so many strange cases before the staff, and eventually the people, start talking. I’m with Noshiko on that plan.” Melissa seconded.

There was a pause before anyone could speak. It was a the best course of action to take, they realized, and it covered a lot of bases when it comes to being on offense and being defensive while avoiding any conflict with Deucalion.

“Well,” Talia started after a while, “I suppose that’s the plan then. We’ll be counting on you then Noshiko.” The elder kitsune nodded, a small smile on her face. Talia forgot how old Noshiko was, it made sense that Noshiko knew how to work a room like she did – carefully listening then exhausting the tension out of everyone, and finally offering a solid unified solution.

“Now, is there any more to discuss on this matter?” Talia asked the room. Nobody responded, everybody had retreated to their food and was eating before the next big discussion comes.

“Actually, there is.”

Everybody looked over by the dining room’s entrance, where the new voice came from. Laura Hale stood confidently, a hand on her hips. Beside her were two teenage werewolves, though one of them carried a strange scent that was not quite entirely wolf, Talia noted.

“The Darach isn’t the only evil creature capable of magic in Beacon Hills at the moment. Anybody know anything about fae?”

~

Liam and Theo told Laura as much as they could without revealing too much about themselves. Liam expected Laura would rush them and rough them up coming to the old Hale house, but they were running at a leisurely pace rather than a hurried one.

“So how long have you been this Alpha Scott McCall’s beta? You seem comfortable enough using your powers, but you don’t seem like you’ve been a werewolf that long.”

Liam noticed the fake light tone Laura used, even hearing the imaginary quotations on Scott’s name, and glanced a look at Theo, waiting for a cue on what to tell her. Theo’s face remained carefully passive, and shrugged.

 _Your call_.

“Not too long in your books I guess. Close to a year,” Liam replied, saying the truth. There was a pause before Laura grunted.

“You’re not lying,” she stated. Liam inwardly sighed – of course Laura would be checking him for any suspicious behaviour, including lies. He still hasn’t quite learned the art of controlling his heartbeat when lying like Scott and Theo has, so it would probably be wise to stick close to honest answers without betraying any incriminating information.

“So. Fae.” Laura began, “care to explain?”

“We don’t...we don’t know exactly. All I remember is getting a call from Pe – an older packmate saying we should go to the clinic, and then we found the place ransacked. It smelled of old magic, and Theo told me it was fae. Then we came to the forest and suddenly we get whammied by something and the next thing we realize, we were on the ground.”

“Clinic?”

Liam hesitated a moment before choosing to opt for the truth.

“The animal clinic.”

Laura’s eyebrows rose. “And you say it was ransacked?”

“Completely trashed. Smelled of magic and blood too,” Theo contributed.

Laura wanted to question them more, but as they got closer, she heard everyone had gathered at the house, and began their dinner discussion. She faintly heard Deaton explaining what a Darach is, and although she was hungry and wanted to eat already, just knowing that Peter, Chris, the Sheriff, and Lucinda were in the same place holding discussion, she could already feel the inevitable shouting match at the table. She continued her leisurely pace in silence, keeping an eye out on Liam and Theo. Laura noticed that the two were straining to hear the discussion at the house.

She sighed. It was going to be a long night – at least the two strange teenagers with her were being cooperative.

~

Liam couldn’t help but let his eyes travel around the room. Seeing the Hale house in its glory had been a sight already, but being inside the house was an altogether different experience. The house was saturated with decade-old scent of wolf – it was nothing like Scott’s house where they often met up. The house was big and expansive, an impressive abode for a huge family of werewolves.

If there was anything that convince Liam that all of this was somehow real and not just a trick of the fae, this was it.

“You might want to pick up your jaw from the ground, and wipe that drool off your face,” Theo snarked.

Liam glared at him, and Laura let out a soft amused snort. The table discussion was winding down to a lull after someone’s input – Liam was surprised to identify it was actually Noshiko – and they reached the dining room’s entrance just as someone else was taking charge of the table again.

“Now, is there any more to discuss on this matter?”

“Actually, there is.”

Everybody swivelled in Laura’s direction, and Liam noted that she stood with the air of someone who took pride in commanding everyone’s attention. She completed her dramatic entrance with a little cat walk and a hand to her hips as she added her piece to the conversation.

“The Darach isn’t the only evil creature capable of magic in Beacon Hills at the moment. Anybody know anything about fae?”

“Fae?” the Sheriff asked flatly, “we get angry alphas, dark nature magicians, and now fairies? Sure, why the hell not,” he muttered, chewing on a forkful of steak.

“Laura, dear,” the woman at the head of the table stood, and Liam got the sense she was the one in charge. Without knowing the color of her eyes, he knows she’s the Alpha here. “You’re late.”

“Sorry mom, I got sidetracked by these guys. Thought they might be relevant to tonight’s meeting.”

Theo huddled close to Liam, and Liam could see why. It was a bizarre sight; despite the obviously unfamiliar setting, the dining table was filled with familiar places. Melissa and Noshiko sat together on one side, and Dr. Deaton sat beside the Alpha. On the other side of the table were the Sheriff, Argent, Peter, and Derek Hale. In fact, the only unfamiliar faces were the Alpha woman, the elder woman sitting on the other side of Melissa, and the man beside Derek.

“First a Darach, now you come bearing news of fae, and then bringing two omegas inside our house without my permission,” the Alpha woman said slowly, “start explaining Laura.”

Laura shivered when the Alpha woman, who was also her mother, flashed her red eyes at her. Liam and Theo instinctively moved closer, shifting to a more defensive stance than their previous relaxed ones.

“I found them in the woods, they popped out of nowhere. They said they were looking for fae, and they’re not omegas,” Laura glanced briefly at them at the corner of her eye, “they belong to a pack.”

“I see. So Deucalion has made his move on our territory then,” the Alpha woman muttered darkly. The mood at the table grew darker, Liam sensed, and if it was possible, he grew tenser. It was a small comfort having familiar faces around, but he could sense their suspicion and apprehension towards him and Theo. Shock even.

Like they didn’t know who the two of them were, or they knew him, but didn’t expect him to show up in the way they did.

“No,” Laura said carefully, “they’re not Deucalion’s betas.”

“Oh?” Peter intoned, “and who’s pack do they belong to? Maybe we should let them introduce themselves.”

Laura motioned for them to step forward, and albeit their reluctance to, they really didn’t have much of a choice, especially not in such unfamiliar ground.

“My name is Liam Dunbar, and this is Theo Raeken,” Liam couldn’t help but meet Melissa’s eyes, who was looking at him in shock and curiosity, but her eyes did not hold the expected familiarity for him in them.

“We’re part of Scott McCall’s pack.”

There was a long pause where everyone stared at them for a long time, unmoving and unbelieving.

“Impossible,” Derek spoke, “you can’t be in Scott’s pack. If you were, we’d know about you.”

“We do know of him though,” Melissa began, her voice shaking a bit, “you were admitted in the hospital a few months ago for a broken leg. You got chased by a wendigo up the rooftop.”

The Sheriff nodded. “Whoever you are son, you’re not Liam Dunbar. Because Liam Dunbar died ten months ago falling off the hospital rooftop being chased by a wendigo.” The sheriff took a curious look at Theo, but whatever he wanted to say, he never did.

Liam could only stare at them at what they said. He felt his heart beat fast against his chest, feeling the beginning of a panic attack. Theo was instantly beside him again, and he felt the chimera hold his left wrist, tapping a beat against his pulse to focus on. It had been one of Theo’s methods to calm Liam down without using words, and the beta found it effective during times words couldn’t reach him.

“We’re part of Scott McCall’s pack,” Theo repeated Liam’s words, “listen to our heartbeats. You know we’re not lying.”

“No, you’re not,” the Alpha woman said quietly, “but your claim does not make the current situation any less impossible.”

“With all due respect Alpha Hale, we live in a world where werewolves and other supernatural creatures exist. Is it so farfetched to believe that the dead could be back?” Theo raised an eyebrow, and Liam noticed he was keeping the snark in his tone subdued.

“But you’re not from the dead are you, Theo Raeken?” Deaton asked. “If you were from the dead, I would be able to tell, just as I would be able to tell if you were beings from this world.”

Deaton smiled, his eyes holding a wondering glint. “You’re from somewhere else. You’re Liam and Theo, but you’re not from this world. You’re –”

“From a parallel universe.”

As Theo finished Deaton’s sentence, Liam knew without doubt what exactly they got themselves into: they managed to piss off some fae, got their memory jogged, and got sent to another universe. With the level of trouble they got themselves in, he suspects even Stiles would be proud.

Liam was still reeling from the revelation that they were in a parallel universe and that _he was dead_ in this universe, so Theo took over in talking.

“We suspect it had something to do with the fae we were hunting. We weren’t sure at first, but the woods smelled both the same and yet different to us, then Laura found us, and we realized that this world couldn’t be the same Beacon Hills we belonged in.”

“Oh god,” the Sheriff dropped his head in his hands, “seriously? Parallel universes? Right now? Really? At the dining table?”

When Liam calmed down from Theo’s tapping, he resumed his part in the conversation. “Uh, yeah. I guess you could say that. We came here because we think some fae have something to do with it. We came to Dr. Deaton – our Dr. Deaton – for help, but the animal clinic was trashed, and he was nowhere to be found.”

“We came to the forest to look for Deaton, but we ended up here instead with no recollection how we did.”

“I see,” the alpha woman nodded slowly, “I get the gist of the situation. I suppose this means you recognize everyone in this room then.”

Liam shook his head. “Most. But not all. I, uh, don’t know who you are. Ma’am.”

The Alpha woman’s eyebrows rose. “You don’t know who I am? Who do you recognize in this room then?”

“Melissa, the Sheriff, Chris Argent, Deaton, Derek, Peter, and Noshiko.” Liam replied, looking at each one as he enumerated them. The people mentioned looked at Liam curiously, still cautious but now more open.

“So you know Derek and Peter, but you don’t recognize Talia or Laura? Or Lucinda? Or me?” the man beside Derek asked.

Liam didn’t know how to answer his question. “No. I’m sorry.”

There was a pause in the conversation before the elder woman beside Melissa cleared her throat. Her eyes met Liam’s, and Liam could feel the sadness pouring out of her, her demeanour a betraying a kind of sadness the beta didn’t know a stranger could be capable of feeling for him.

“Then I suppose we owe you an introduction. I am Lucinda Martin, and I am this council’s seer and one of Alpha Talia Hale’s advisors.”

Liam perked up at her introduction. “Martin? Like Lydia Martin?”

Lucinda’s eyes instantly lit up at the mention of Lydia. “So you do know my granddaughter then? I suppose it makes sense that you do, as she is part of the McCall pack as well.”

“And I am Talia Hale,” the alpha woman introduced herself, “and the man beside Derek is my husband, Kevin Hale. And I assume you now know Laura, my daughter.”

Talia’s stance still held wariness in them, Liam noted, but she was now less agitated, more open to the idea of talking to them than say, ripping their throats out any moment, and Liam let his shoulders drop, letting most of the tension leave him.

Liam wondered how often Talia and the rest of the adults in the room dealt with stuff as bizarre as parallel universes if they could somehow drop their guard significantly after a brief exchange. But then again, their reality is certainly a strange thing, and no lies – at least, none of the obvious ones – were made. Liam wasn’t good at lying, and though it was something like a flaw to have as Theo and Mason have pointed out before, at least it has helped him in the present situation in gaining their trust somehow.

Laura walked over to an empty seat beside her mom, leaving him and Theo standing absently by the room’s entrance. Talia noticed they were still dawdling, and smiled at them warmly, motherly, and motioned for them to sit down.

“Please, this is a civil meeting. Sit down and have dinner with us. I expect we could learn a great deal from each other tonight.”

Liam and Theo took their seats on the men’s side of the table, Liam sitting directly beside Chris Argent and Theo to his left, across from Derek and beside Kevin Hale. Before they knew it, the table erupted into discussion again, Noshiko explaining what her _oni_ are and aren’t capable of doing, while Liam and Theo listened, feeling so very out of place.

~

The dinner continued, with Liam learning of a few things about the world they were in and the current situation they had at hand: Deucalion and the Darach, the possible appearance of fae, and dealing with the fallout from their recent encounters with bounty hunters and their Benefactor. Liam learned that unlike in their world, it was Gerard Argent who took the mantle of the Benefactor and dispatched a lot of hunters to Beacon Hills. Unsurprisingly, one of the names mentioned giving them trouble was a woman named Monroe.

Thankfully, Scott McCall _is_ an Alpha in this world as well, a True Alpha even, and had an entire pack beside him that shared territories with the Hales. Liam knew how his Scott became a werewolf, but he wondered how this world’s Scott became one – if not Peter, then who, and how?

“I can deploy my _oni_ tomorrow night if you wish Alpha Hale, I need time to prepare,” Noshiko offered, when the conversation made its way back to the topic of the Darach.

“Very well,” Talia nodded, “are there any objections to the plan?”

“Why do we need the _oni_ to identify the Darach?” Liam asked.

“We came to the conclusion that it was the safest choice to do so to avoid a direct confrontation,” Noshiko replied.

“But...” Liam trailed off before realization hit him. “You don’t know who she is.” Liam’s eyes widened at the full implication of his realization. He couldn’t contain himself and reflexively stood up from his chair. Theo remained seated, but kept a careful eye on him.

“You don’t know who she is!”

“Yes, you child, we have established that, that is the reason why we’re using this kitsune’s tails to find out,” Peter said drily.

“But you don’t need to! We already know who she is!”

The table was immediately filled with shock and surprise. “You know who she is?”

Liam nodded. “I wasn’t part of the pack yet when our Scott and his pack fought against her. I think she was called Julia Baccari before, but she went by Jennifer Blake after she became the Darach. She was a teacher at Beacon Hills High.”

Liam heard the Sheriff mutter something about the school’s questionable standards for accepting teachers.

“And how did your Scott and his pack defeat her?” Talia asked. Everyone else leaned forward to listen in. Liam could feel Theo smiling beside him, no doubt knowing the story already somehow.

“Scott and Derek fought her with Deucalion during the lunar eclipse. Scott broke through her mountain ash barrier and became a True Alpha which caught her by surprise, and Deucalion slashed her throat.”

“So Deucalion does get his kill,” Deaton said thoughtfully.

“And the rest of the pack?” Kevin asked.

“Stiles saved Melissa, the Sheriff, and Argent from becoming her sacrifices.”

“Stiles alone?” the Sheriff sounded surprised.

“Allison Argent and Isaac Lahey were with him,” Theo replied, and Liam looked at him, wondering how the chimera knew that bit of information when he didn’t even recall that immediately. He noted that Talia was looking at him more curiously. Liam noticed that other than Derek, he didn’t mention any of the Hales at all. He tried his best to keep his heartbeat from beating nervously.

“Talia, this changes our position completely,” Deaton began, tone serious. “The lunar eclipse is in a week’s time, and if the Darach is planning on gaining greater power, then the coming eclipse is a perfect time for her to do so.”

“What does that mean?” the Sheriff asked, instantly alert.

“It means she’s going to make a move to complete her sacrifices by the lunar eclipse, isn’t she?” Melissa asked. Talia stood up, Laura standing beside her, Kevin and Derek instantly by her side as well.

“Then the hunt begins as soon as possible. Alan, inform Deucalion’s emissary with our information. Chris, Noah, I trust you’d do your best to keep civilians out of this as best as you can,” Talia nodded at the Sheriff and Argent, and they nodded back. “Starting now, we’re going to stop that body count at ten.”

“Eleven.”

Everybody looked towards Lucinda who had been silent all this time.

“Lucinda?” Melissa asked worriedly.

The next second, everybody found themselves covering their ears as Lucinda Martin’s scream filled the night air.

~

Everybody in the house was motionless after that. Talia was the first to recover. They were all on their feet by that point, chairs pushed aside and dinner finished and forgotten.

“Lucinda, tell us, what happened? And where?”

“The trails near the high school,” Lucinda croaked, her voice hoarse from her scream. She had her hands in her hair, a haunted look in her eyes. “It was a boy. The three-point killing method,” the banshee shook her head, “she was too quick. By the time the voices warned me, the Darach didn’t waste any time in killing the boy. It was too late to act.”

Lucinda grasped at Talia’s arms. Kevin and Derek tensed beside their Alpha, but Talia waved them off.

“Oh Talia, it was awful. I could feel it – the boy’s terror. I could remember it, how utterly terrified he was as an unexplained force bound him to a tree. The poor boy kept begging to be let go, but the boy died still begging as he slowly died from loss of air. Talia, that boy, he died still begging for his life, and his throat was slit and head bashed in, even now I can still hear his crying,” Lucinda’s eyes looked at a faraway point, like she wasn’t seeing Talia or the rest of them at all, and with how her hair came undone from the prim bun she wore after screaming for all of them to hear, she looked more ghost than living.

Liam wondered if someday Lydia would become as powerful a banshee as Lucinda was. Lydia only had perceived strong emotions from her vague visions, only sometimes making concrete scenes, but Lucinda was different. It was like she was the one being killed, and her scream was shriller and higher, a haunting and desperate sound that rattled a feeling of dread and fear in his bones.

Lucinda’s tight grip on Talia’s arm fell away, and Liam saw the bruises she left healing already. Melissa took Lucinda aside and sat her down. The Sheriff and Argent looked ready to go, like they were forming battle plans in their heads already. Talia nodded at them, and the two exited the room. Moments later, he heard the Sheriff’s cruiser and Argent’s jeep pull out the driveway.

“Talia,” Noshiko called the Alpha.

“Noshiko, go. Prepare however you can.” The elder kitsune left hastily, offering a soft squeeze on Lucinda’s shoulder before leaving the room.

“I should go ahead as well. The hospital is going to need help with the body,” Melissa said. Talia nodded at her as well.  Before she left though, she faced Liam and Theo.

“I don’t know why, or exactly how you’re here, but if you’re saying you belong in my son’s pack, then that means that to a degree I could trust you,” Melissa said, tone equal parts fierce and compassionate, “so if you’re going to fight, be careful.”

And the nurse strode out, leaving Liam staring at her retreat. Theo nudged him. “So what, we fight?”

Liam nodded. There wasn’t much choice, was there? And besides, they were all fighting on the same side. “Yeah, we fight. Together.”

Liam looked over where Lucinda and the Hales gathered. Lucinda looked out of commission for the night, but the rest of the Hales were whispering in low tones that surprisingly, even Liam had a hard time deciphering. Deaton walked over to them.

“I suppose you’re going to find what you’re looking for.”

“You think the fae is somehow involved with the Darach?” Theo questioned.

“It would not be impossible if it was,” Deaton replied, “I don’t think it was coincidence that you came here looking for fae while we were in the middle of a crisis with the Darach.”

“So what do we do? How can we help?” Liam asked.

“You’re meeting up with our Alpha.”

Liam and Theo looked over at Derek, who was making his way over to them, a light yet playful smile on his face. It looked strange on Derek, Liam thought absently, not when all his limited memories of Derek didn’t include such an expression. Usually Derek looked arrogant and defiant, pensive and worried, and the closest to a teasing expression he came to was when he was around Scott and Stiles.

It was a strange look, but a pleasant one. This Derek didn’t look like the tortured, brooding man he came to know; this Derek looked more balanced, content, and centered. Like he was whole.

Like he wasn’t seduced by a woman who was years older than him when he was a teenager, with the intent of killing his family by trapping and burning them in their family home.

“Meeting with our Alpha?”

Derek grinned.

“We’re going to my loft for emergency pack meeting, and we’re calling Scott McCall.”

~

The trip to the loft was a long, but the drive was made relatively quick despite Derek saying it was on the other side of town. Liam suspected that Derek was used to breaking the speed limit whenever it suited him. The sleek Camaro that Derek drove pulled into a parking spot in front of a dark building, all but one of the upper floors that shone with light. Liam could already smell familiar scents, and he could see Scott’s bike and Kira’s car parked a distance away.

Liam and Theo hurried after Derek on the stairs, taking two steps at a time.

“I texted them a while ago about the situation. The whole pack’s meeting at the loft.” Derek stated. Liam and Theo couldn’t help but look at each other. Derek made it sound as if the pack was a large group.

Derek pushed the sliding loft doors aside when they reached his floor, and Liam couldn’t help but hold his breath.

“Derek,” Scott called out, making his way towards them, “what’s going on?”

Liam couldn’t help but stare at the version of Scott McCall standing before him. Physically, he looked exactly the same – tall, tan, and an open expression with equally expressive eyes brimming with concern. What differed was his scent – he smelled of comfort and sleep, like he just got up taking Derek’s call earlier, and he was so much more confidently relaxed in general than his Scott.

This Scott looked softer, unshaken, like he hasn’t faced any of the incredibly life threatening situations that he’s known his Scott to have faced. This Scott felt like a leader, Liam could feel his Alpha aura from him, but he didn’t smell of anxiety and hypersensitivity.

And that was when Liam came to quick realization that of course, this Scott wouldn’t be like his. This Scott had an entire Hale family to help him. He had an entire _council_ of elders that he just met that could give him their support when he asked.

“The Council’s meeting just finished, and trouble’s starting,” Derek roamed his eyes around his loft. “Where are the others?”

“Stiles just texted me they’re on their way. He’s with Lydia and Jackson. The rest are on their way as well. It’s just me, Malia, Kira, and Scott here at the moment.”

Liam looked over the speaker. He was a tall guy, blonde and blue-eyed, and he wore a white fitted shirt over his broad shoulders, a dark blue scarf loosely thrown around his neck. Liam could remember Stiles talking about him: while Liam was Scott’s first bitten beta, technically, Scott’s first beta by choice was Isaac Lahey.

Isaac strode towards them, Kira and Malia in tow.

“What’s wrong? Do these two have something to do with it?” Malia asked. Liam had to smile a bit – this universe’s Malia was just as brusque and direct to the point as the one in his is.

“Yeah, they do, but in the way that they’re with us,” Derek said. “They can make introductions after the pack’s all here.”

“Is it that bad already?” Scott asked quietly, tone suddenly serious.

Derek hesitated only a beat before replying. “The meeting had to end because Lucinda screamed. There’s been another murder. And the meeting’s discussed exactly what these murders are.”

“Let’s all sit down for now and wait for the others then, they shouldn’t be long,” Scott said, motioning for all of them to sit by Derek’s living area. He smiled at Liam and Theo, and instantly, a feeling of protection and safety fell over him. “You guys too. Must’ve been pretty tiring, being in a council meeting with the adults.”

“Not really. It was interesting, and the food was good.” Theo replied. Scott smiled wider, and Liam found himself smiling as well. The two of them followed Scott to the living area, and it only took a few seconds before the loft’s door opened and a new batch of people came.

Liam could only recognize one of them, and that was Ethan, who seemed to have doubled since there were two of them. With the two Ethans were a blonde bombshell, a black guy, and a tall tanned guy.

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow when her eyes fell on Liam and Theo. “Oh, is this the reason for the late night meeting? We have two new cute betas in the pack?”

Liam would’ve made a comment how he and Theo were already _part_ of the pack, albeit from another universe. Derek, he noticed, didn’t say a word. Scott answered for them. “No, but apparently they’re involved in what the council discussed tonight.”

“I take it something major came up?” the black guy asked.

Scott sighed, looking at Derek. “Derek said he’d tell us everything when everyone gets here.”

“And we’re here! Everyone’s here! Everyone’s here right? One, two, three...yep! Alright! Let’s get down to business!”

Tumbling through the doorway was a parade of movement led by Stiles, followed by Jackson and Lydia, and another girl Liam feels he should know. They’re all in varied states of emotion: Stiles was oozing excitement and curiosity, Lydia was somewhat distraught, Jackson was curious and mildly irritated, and the other girl was calm and serious.

“Sorry we were late by the way. We decided to pick up Allison on the way.”

Liam’s head snapped towards the girl he initially didn’t recognize. He remembers her now – she was in numerous photos in Scott’s room, her with Scott, her with Scott and Stiles, her with Lydia, all four of them in some shots even.

This was the girl he never had the chance to know. The one Scott remembers with a fond smile, the one Stiles felt guilty over and the one Lydia missed whenever her name was mentioned.

Allison Argent.

“That doesn’t make sense actually. Your house and the Argent’s apartment are near this area aren’t they? How come you guys were the last to come here?” Scott asked.

“Well, we didn’t come _from_ our respective homes?” Stiles slowly said, and it sounded much like a question than a statement, and Liam thought Stiles sounded like he did something he wasn’t supposed to.

“Stiles,” Derek sighed exasperatedly. Stiles immediately bristled.

“All right Sourwolf, I did not come this late to be judged by you. Jackson does that enough,” Jackson smirked his direction, “and for the record, all of us apart from Allison were in another part of town at the time you called for a pack meeting.”

“And where were you?”

“We were in the forest trail near the school,” Lydia replied. Derek fell silent.

“Oh. So you found the dead body then.”

The other newcomers’ heads snapped in Derek’s direction. “A dead body in the forest? Wasn’t there a dead body found near the preserve just a few days ago?” one of the Ethans, the harder looking one, asked.

“Now that everyone’s here, let’s let Derek explain the situation,” Scott prompted Derek to do so, and he launched on the long story starting from the beginning of the council meeting up to Liam and Theo’s entrance, and then the last part where Lucinda banshee-screamed the Darach’s latest sacrifice.

“So let me get this straight,” Stiles started just as Derek finished, “you’re telling us that we’re dealing with a demon wolf, a murderous dark druid that teaches at our high school, _and_ fairies? At the same time? Right now?”

“They’re fae Stiles, they’re not like what you imagine them to be,” Derek said patiently.

“Fae are still human in appearance, but in their natural form, they’re more like magic ghosts than fairies,” Allison explained, “they’re usually harmless, but they could be pretty aggressive if provoked.”

“Are we really gonna ignore the most important point Derek has raised?” Isaac questioned. “There are literally two people in front of us from another dimension.”

“Alternate universe,” Stiles corrected him absently.

“You guys look familiar for some reason,” Scott murmured. “Derek never mentioned your names.”

Liam knew this was their cue for an introduction. “My name’s Liam. Liam Dunbar. And this is...”

“Theo Raeken.”

Scott and Stiles’s reaction were immediate.

“Theo?” Scott asked, wonderstruck.

“Liam? As in anger-management-issues Liam? Liam on the lacrosse team? Didn’t you like, die in the hospital when a wendigo chased you off the ledge?”

“That’s the Liam in this universe. In mine, I didn’t fall from the hospital rooftop.”

“I’m actually curious, since you don’t appear to recognize me on sight; I’d take it you haven’t heard from me since we moved out Beacon Hills some years back.” Theo interjected, a light smirk on his face.

“Theo,” Scott began slowly. Liam could smell the sadness and hurt from him, “you’re family moved out of Beacon Hills when we were ten, one of their children died and the other went completely missing.”

“Yeah, my sister died, I gather,” Theo supplied.

“My father sent out his deputies to look for the missing Raeken kid,” Stiles continued, “they found your body by the river, under a bridge. They never found your sister.”

~

The meeting between the pack continued. Allison and Stiles took charge of the table, laying down a couple weapons on it and the two of them polished, cleaned, and armed themselves with as much defense as they could. Scott stood in front of the two, discussing things with Derek and the rest of the pack.

Theo, having basic knowledge of who’s-who even back on their side of the universe, supplied Liam with the missing names the beta didn’t know. Theo identified Erica Reyes, Vernon Boyd III, the twins Ethan and Aiden, and Danny Mahealani.

For the most part though, Theo couldn’t concentrate on the pack meeting even if he wanted to. He was still turning over Stiles’s words of what happened to this universe’s Theo.

_“Our Theo Raeken’s body was discovered in the river by the forest, heart taken out, and a few days old already. Me and Scott attended your – his funeral since we were friends. Then just a few months ago, your sister Tara suddenly came back to Beacon Hills to help us with a problem we had with some chimera. She didn’t last though – she was a failure according to the Dread Doctors, the ones who made her a chimera.”_

Somewhere in this universe, a dead Theo Raeken had his heart pulled out of his chest by his own sister. In this universe, he was the expendable one. It was like his own nightmare come true, except it wasn’t a recurring event in a dream but rather a fact etched in this universe’s history.

“I know what you’re thinking. Stop thinking about it.”

Liam said beside him, his eyes never leaving the pack in front of them. They had retreated to the couch by the living area; it wasn’t much of a distance away, but the space between them and the pack was a noticeable separation. Theo had thought Liam would have immediately dove at the chance to integrate himself in this pack – _his pack_ still in a way, since Scott is Alpha – so it was a surprise to see Liam sticking close to him rather than the rest of them.

“I’m not thinking about anything,” it was a weak lie, Theo knew, that even Liam can pick up on.

“I’m the same too you know,” Liam said quietly. “In this universe, I probably didn’t even meet Scott and Stiles properly. To them, I was probably just another face in the team. Here, I was just another crazy case of death in this town. They probably even released it as a suicide or freak accident, something just to avoid talking about the wendigo thing.”

There was a beat of silence between them drowned down by Stiles and Derek bickering in the background. Lydia, who had recovered from her previous encounter in the woods, was only fuelling the bickering with Jackson, who delighted in annoying Stiles.

“It’s strange to look at, isn’t it,” Theo segued, changing the topic, “to see the pack you know so similar yet so different.”

“Yeah.”

Theo watched Liam look at them.

“It kinda makes me feel like this universe’s Scott does so much better without me,” Theo couldn’t miss the sad tone in Liam’s voice.

“You’re an idiot.” Liam glared at Theo.

“You must think so highly of yourself if you think your presence affects Scott’s performance as an Alpha that much,” Theo continued, “because it doesn’t. We all just deal with the stuff that we have and make the best we can out of what we’re able to do.”

Liam continued to look at Theo. “So what if they don’t have a Liam Dunbar here? They don’t have a Theo Raeken here like me either. Isn’t that a good thing?”

“Maybe,” Liam replied, “they had Tara though. And even she didn’t get a good ending. Can you really call that a good thing then?”

“Anything is better than this,” Theo said, looking down at his hands.

“I don’t know. I know I wouldn’t be alive by this point if it wasn’t for you.”

Liam is a fucking idiot, Theo continued to think. But if he was going to be honest, he’s glad Liam’s so damn optimistic sometimes, and he’s glad that if anyone was stuck with him in an alternate universe that it’s Liam. Theo would have probably snapped sooner if Liam’s grounding presence wasn’t by his side. Then again, with all the time they’ve spent recently, it really shouldn’t be surprising.

Not that he’ll admit it out loud anyway.

“Yeah, you’re hopeless without anyone to babysit you.”

Liam punched him in the arm, and huffed, moving away from Theo and settling on the opposite side of the couch. He continued to glare at the chimera, and Theo chuckled. Riling up Liam was always amusing.

The pack meeting was winding down when Theo tuned back to them. They were now discussing being paired off with one another, like tag teams, depending on the situation, and despite the serious situation, Theo could see the faintest of smiles on Scott’s face. Theo gets it though – when you have people that have your back like this, despite dire situations, one can’t help but smile a bit.

He chanced a glance at Liam again, who was watching the pack with a feeling of longing and sort of homesickness.

“I could say the same to you too.”

Liam looked at him from the corner of his eyes.

“I wouldn’t be alive here if it wasn’t for you. For you, bringing me back.” Before Theo could change his mind, he murmured. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” Liam replied just as quietly, and Theo smiled, thinking despite how utterly screwed the situation was, at least they had each other.


	3. Part 2: Stories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo get settled in. Involves goodbye letters, nightmares, and Stilinski pancakes.

When the pack meeting ended and Scott told them all to be careful on their way home, and to keep good watch over their surroundings, Liam and Theo found themselves in Stiles’s jeep.

“I know I was the one that said we needed someone to keep watch on you in case you guys are the evil twins to our Liam and Theo from another universe, but I was just saying that because Scott is too trusting, and god, Scott needs to develop a stronger sense of self-preservation.”

“Where are you taking us?” Liam asked, opting to ignore Stiles’s cynicism. Stiles keyed in the jeep and it took a couple of tries before it stuck, and when the engine roared to life, Stiles made a little fist in the air before answering.

“Home. Well, our Liam’s old home. Your folks left quickly after your funeral, stayed around a month I guess? Before packing what little they could take and moved out of Beacon Hills. The house is in the same state as it was when they left, and they didn’t really pack much I reckon, since all they had were two cars to move out. It wouldn’t surprise me if they left our universe’s Liam’s old room untouched since the funeral.”

Liam couldn’t even imagine how messed up this was – he was going to sleep in the bedroom of a dead person, who happens to be him.

“So you’re letting us stay in our old house?” Liam asked.

“Huh? Yeah,” Stiles replied. “We’ll get back to you in the morning though, so for now, you could rest. I’m sure you have loads of questions about this side of the universe – I know I do about yours.”

Liam couldn’t help but smile – Stiles Stilinski, not even curiosity could kill this cat.

Surprisingly, it was a silent drive to Liam’s old house. When they were turning down familiar roads, Liam couldn’t help but ask. “What’s wrong? You’re silent.”

“Hmm? Other than the constant cloud of death that looms over Beacon Hills? Nothing. Why? Can’t a guy drive in silence?”

“You’re usually much chattier, is what he means,” Theo explained.

“I’m chatty? Really? I haven’t been called that in –” Stiles stopped in midsentence before growing interested. “Do you mean you know me? In your universe?”

 _Oh right_ , Liam thought, _they know we’re wolves, but Derek didn’t even mention our names until we did, much less the fact we were in our universe’s Scott’s pack._

“We do. I uh, was a player in the same lacrosse team, too.”

“Same as our Liam then,” Stiles replied, “except for the dying part.”

“That’s a part I’m glad I don’t have.”

Stiles laughed. “What’s the other me like?”

Liam didn’t know how to answer. The thing was, while his Stiles did help him when he needed it, Stiles did it more as a pack-thing rather than a close-friends-thing. His Stiles was a far more emotionally scarred person than he initially thought, that when he did see the full range of how hard Stiles had it being a human in a wolf pack, there had been an invisible line drawn between what Liam was able to know about Stiles and what Liam wasn’t able to know about him.

His Stiles obviously cares about him, Liam knew, but his Stiles was just older and distant, like he didn’t let anyone close too easily other than Scott, Lydia, and Malia. So that’s just how Liam knew his Stiles.

“Well, he was smart and brave, and really loyal,” Liam hesitated to add his own words, but thought this Stiles at least deserved to know how Liam knew his own universe’s Stiles.

“We weren’t really close. I...I never got to know him better other than the pack’s research guy and overall go-to guy when things go wrong. I guess it’s because I was the new guy and I gave people a lot of trouble as a new wolf.”

Liam paused. “But he was patient and he paid attention. And we may not be close, but he believes in me. It was... it was more than I could have asked for.”

Stiles hummed. “So we were in the same pack then? Was Scott the Alpha?”

“Yeah.” Liam replied.

Silence followed again, and Liam looked beside him where Stiles looked ahead, eyes on the road.

“You’re not asking for details?”

“Hmm? Oh, well, I will, but maybe tomorrow? I’m kind of preoccupied at the moment, and I still have to go to the Argent’s place after I take you to your house. It’s going to be a busy night with Allison and Chris.”

“Your dad is okay with you being around the Argents and their weapons?” Theo asked.

Stiles chuckled. “No. Dad doesn’t even want me to go into anything dangerous, but being the pack’s emissary and the vulnerable human, I have to be equipped with as much defensive options as I could have. Dad heavily disapproves of me using weapons though.”

“And yet here you are anyway,” Theo drawled. Liam had a tiny surprised moment: his Stiles may be his pack’s go-to guy, but he wasn’t an _emissary_ like this Stiles was.

 _It sort of makes sense_ , Liam thought, _how the title of emissary fits Stiles so well with how he supports the pack in the way he does._

“And here we are,” Stiles said, putting the brakes on the jeep. Liam is snapped out of his thoughts, and he and Theo scrambled after Stiles getting off the jeep, and following the emissary to the house’s doorstep.

As much as Liam could see in the dark, the house looked very much the same as his back in their universe. It even has the same number of potted plants by the front porch, the pot designs so familiar Liam has them memorized. Liam was shaken out of his thoughts again when he heard the smacking sound from Stiles direction.

“God I really didn’t think this plan through. The door is locked and we don’t have a key. I don’t suppose any of you mind if we just break the door in?” Stiles asked.

“Wait,” Liam replied, immediately going for his pockets. He checked his left pocket and right there, beside his dead phone, were his house keys. He fished the keys out and held them up. “Maybe the keys are the same?”

“Huh. Give it a try then,” Stiles asked. Liam moved towards the door and tried his keys. He jiggled the lock a little and turned, and miraculously, unlocked the front door.

“Would you look at that. Guess you can’t really consider this breaking and entering if no breaking happened right?” Stiles quipped. Theo replied with a quick “It’s his house anyway, albeit in another universe” and the three of them walked inside.

The inside of the house smelled dusty, and the air was humid. Stiles mentioned something about the house’s water and electricity being cut at the moment, and said he’ll do something about it by tomorrow. The house looked pretty much the same: the walls still the same off-white color and the position of the furniture was still the same. The house smelled of lingering sadness and abandon, most of the scents that belonged to those who once lived in the house already fading.

It was a sad house to go to, but one he _could_ go to, and he’s at least grateful that Stiles has thought of this plan to house them.

“Okay. So. I hope you get settled in, and I’m guessing since most of the furniture is still here, your room would still be in good condition. We’ll take our leave so you can rest. C’mon Theo,” Stiles beckoned.

Liam’s heartbeat suddenly accelerated. “Wait, what? Where are you taking Theo?” Liam asked.

“His old house,” Stiles answered in a tone that asked if that wasn’t obvious. “Is something wrong?”

Logically, Liam knew he was overreacting; Stiles was just taking Theo out to the Raeken’s old house. But Liam couldn’t help but feel anxious at the thought of being separated from the only person he’s in this mess to begin with, and if he was being more honest with himself, the thought of spending the night in a house that wasn’t really his didn’t settle all that well with him.

That, and the fact he didn’t really want to be alone at the moment.

Liam didn’t answer Stiles’s question, but it seemed like he didn’t have to, since Theo answered for both of them.

“Liam’s just probably thinking that with the current state of this house after just a few months, my house that’s been sitting empty for years could be in a worse state.”

“Oh,” Stiles said, coming to a realization, “shit, you’re right. Sorry about that. You don’t mind if the two of you stayed here right?”

“We’ll be fine Stiles,” Theo answered, “go on. The Argents are probably waiting for you.”

Stiles gave them a grin and a mock salute, and went out the front door. Liam and Theo heard Stiles get into his jeep and start the engine, and after a couple of tries, they heard him drive off, presumably in the direction where the Argents are staying.

“For someone who gives Scott shit about being too trusting, he sure was quick to leave two unfamiliar werewolves on their own and unsupervised for the night,” Theo murmured.

“We did say we’re pack,” Liam offered.

“If it were our Stiles, he would’ve stayed and made sure we didn’t get ourselves into trouble. He’d probably even suggest chaining us up.”

“He’s not our Stiles though,” Liam replied.

“No. No he isn’t,” Theo replied. Liam watched Theo as the other boy stared at the door intently, like he was expecting Stiles to turn his jeep around and march right back into the house and demand Theo to be chained up or sent back to hell.

Granted their Stiles doesn’t feel that way anymore about Theo after the Hunter War, there was still some lingering animosity there between the two of them.

“Is it that weird for you? Seeing a version of Stiles that’s actually openly friendly with you?” Liam asked quietly.

“Stiles hasn’t looked at me like we’re friends since before I disappeared with the Dread Doctors back in our universe,” Theo replied, “the thought of being alone with Stiles all friendly like that in his jeep as he drives me to my old house is just... just weird.”

Liam stared at the door as well. Of course Theo didn’t stay because he wanted to, he stayed because this universe’s Stiles weirded him out. Liam tried not to feel a little hurt that Theo based his decision on whose company was less likely to make him uncomfortable.

“Guess we’ll be sharing the house then.”

“I guess so,” Theo said quietly before changing expressions. “I call dibs on the master’s bedroom,” Theo smirked, strange expression earlier forgotten and quickly bound up the stairs, no doubt heading for his parent’s room.

“Hey! Theo! Oh, c’mon! This is my house!” Liam called out from the foot of the staircase. He could hear Theo open the door to his parents’ room and flop onto to the king size bed inside. Liam continued more sedately up the stairs and found himself in front of a familiar door by the end of the hallway.

To be honest, Liam didn’t mind if Theo took his parents’ room. It didn’t even cross his mind; his mind was already in a specific room in the house. Liam brought his hand up to the doorknob, and after a steadying breath, opened the door.

The room was devoid of any scents or signs of anyone being in it for a long time, but looking at the room, it was like Liam never even left his own room. His bed was unmade, like he had just rolled up from waking up and dragged himself to school. His desk still had his papers and previous quizzes on it, an open history book with a pen in the middle of its pages. The floor was littered with loose articles of clothing: socks, towels, shirts, and shorts. His dresser had his middle school memorabilia: medals and little trophies from little leagues and school sports events, even framed photos of him and Mason. Posters of basketball players and bands he listened to were on one wall.

The only thing that stood out of place in his room is a pot of wilted flowers – it’s too brown and wilted for Liam to identify – that sat on his desk beside the open history book. Among the dried flowers was a little white envelope bearing Liam’s name in familiar handwriting.

Mason’s.

Liam carefully sidestepped the stuff scattered on the floor and approached his desk. He plucked the letter from the flowers, and slowly opened the envelope. Inside was a single page of paper in Mason’s legible print, carrying his faint scent, the familiar smell of the soap Mason used and the base scent that was simply _Mason_.

 _“Liam,”_ the letter began.

_“It’s been a week since the funeral – since I saw you for the last time. You’re mom and Mr. And Mrs. Geyer called me to come to the house to help them pack some of your stuff they could take, but to be perfectly honest, there wasn’t much of you they could take. I set aside for them your lacrosse jersey and lacrosse stick, and a bunch of the clothes you liked. Other than that, they wanted to leave your room as it was: the same way you left it when you were last here._

_“I still can’t believe you’re gone Liam. You had been the best friend I’ve ever had since we were in first grade, and I could still remember the times you defended me against the bullies that would come out to get me. I knew it was hard being friends with the black gay kid, and on top of that, you were the kid with the anger issues, but you didn’t mind and you had remained nothing but a true friend to me, and for that, I’d always be thankful for._

_“I was the last person who visited you in the hospital, just after your mom left to get a few stuff at your house. That same night, I got the call they found your body in the parking lot – they said you fell from the rooftop. They said you jumped from the rooftop. They said you killed yourself._

_“I’ve known you for most of my life, and I know it hadn’t been easy with your IED. School was especially hard: you even got expelled from our last school for trashing the coach’s car in uncontrolled rage. Naturally I followed you, because I couldn’t just let you be in a new school all by yourself, couldn’t I? And I thought you were okay, you were fine, that because we had each other, we’d be able to push through everything high school threw at us. And if you did kill yourself Liam, I don’t know where I went wrong, or how I couldn’t see it, that things became so hard for you to handle that you couldn’t tell me about it._

_“Nothing has changed since I spoke at your funeral. I still don’t know what to say about you. How does someone go about saying these things about you when they couldn’t even see the most crucial parts?_

_“I’ve set aside your stuff for your folks to take. So here I am sitting at your desk, writing this letter to you, and I’ll just leave this here with a pot of flowers I couldn’t manage to bring to your tombstone. I don’t know if I could visit you in the cemetery like this. My parents have decided I need to grieve you properly, so we’re moving out of Beacon Hills as well in a month or so. So I’ll just leave this all here, and say my goodbyes in this room._

_“I love you, Liam. You’ll always be my brother. And maybe I didn’t see this coming at all, or know you enough that you’d do something like this, but I’d like to think I’m lucky enough to have known you as well and as long as I have._

_“You’ll always be with me. ‘Til next time bro._

_“Mason.”_

Liam felt someone take the letter from his trembling hands. He trained his blurry vision at Theo, who he hadn’t noticed walk into his room. Theo folded the letter and took out the pen in the middle of the open book on the desk. He inserted the letter in between random pages, and closed the book, burying the letter in the pages of a forgotten history. Liam furiously wiped away his tears.

“Liam,” Theo said quietly.

“He thought I killed myself,” Liam choked out, “he thought he didn’t do enough for me. He thought he was responsible for not watching me close enough.”

“He’s your friend. Your best friend,” Theo began, “it’s what they do.”

“But he didn’t even do anything wrong!” Liam cried out, his voice suddenly loud in the silent room. “He didn’t even know the truth. He thinks I killed myself and he couldn’t help and then he went away and grieved and he doesn’t even know the fucking truth about what happened to me.”

“His Liam,” The replied, “he didn’t know what happened to his Liam.”

“What would my Mason think then, when he finds out I ran into the forest to fight fae and discovers I disappeared without a trace? Would he blame himself for not being there for me?”

“No, he’d blame you for being a dumbass, running headfirst for an opponent you knew nothing about, and then he’d contact the entire pack to find a way to get you back,” Theo replied, “he’d be sad too, but mostly he’d be pissed at you.”

Liam let out a wet chuckle. “Him and Stiles would think I’m an idiot, wouldn’t they?”

“And if they find out I was with you, they’d shift the blame to me. Or they could be fair, and be mad at both of us.”

“That sounds a lot like Scott.” Liam said. Theo chuckled.

They both descended into silence once more.

“I don’t even know why I got that emotional over a letter that wasn’t even for me really. I shouldn’t have even read it.” Liam said.

“To be fair, you’re still Liam, just from another universe. And the letter was addressed to you. A dead version of you, but still you.”

Silence.

“You should sleep. You’re tired.” Theo pushed Liam in the direction of the bed. Liam groaned in protest, but when Theo tripped his feet in one quick motion and fell on the bed, Liam didn’t bother getting back up. Apparently, even against werewolf stamina, interdimensional travel, council dinner, and pack meetings with old and new people took its toll on him.

“God this was exhausting,” Liam sighed into his pillow.

He could only hear Theo exit his room and close the door. He heard the chimera enter his parents’ room and flop on the bed himself. Both of them had been tired out.

“Good night,” Liam whispered against the sheets. He could hear a soft chuckle from somewhere in the house, and soft voice saying ‘sweet dreams’ back.

~

_Theo opened his eyes and found himself in the hospital morgue. He quickly sat up and stood up, taking in his surroundings. He was alone, and the morgue was dark and the morgue was silent and the morgue wasn’t safe he wasn’t he couldn’t be safe –_

_The hospital hallways were empty. The lights flickered on and off. Theo walked the long stretch of the hallway, listening for sounds or voices that could help him. He wanted to call out, ask if anyone was there can anybody hear me is there anyone anyone anyone out there –_

_Then he heard the footsteps._

_Theo turned around and there, at the end of the hallway, stood a solitary figure. He knows this figure. He knows who she is._

_The figure immediately drops on her arms and legs and scrambles crawls grovels towards him. Theo could only run, but before he could get far, he felt his feet getting dragged under him and he falls to the ground screaming screaming screaming help help HELP –_

_He saw his sister bring her face to his._

_“Hello Theo.”_

_And he feels it. He feels her hand on his chest. In his chest. Theo felt his sister rip his heart out and he –_

_Theo opened his eyes and found himself in the hospital hallways. He quickly sat up and stood up, taking in his surroundings. He was alone, and the halls were dark and the halls were silent and the halls weren’t safe he wasn’t he couldn’t be safe –_

_The lights flickered on and off. Theo walked the long stretch of the hallway, listening for sounds or voices that could help him. He wanted to call out, but his voice was stuck in his throat and he wanted to scream and shout and call for someone –_

_Then he heard the footsteps._

_Theo turned around and there, at the end of the hallway, stood a solitary figure. He knows what happens next._

_The figure immediately drops on her arms and legs and scrambles crawls grovels towards him. Theo could only run, but before he could get far, he felt his feet getting dragged under him and he falls to the ground screaming screaming screaming help help HELP –_

_He saw his sister bring her face to his._

_“Hello Theo.”_

_And he feels it. He feels her hand on his chest. In his chest. Theo felt his sister rip his heart out and he –_

_Theo opened his eyes and found himself in the hospital hallways. He quickly sat up and stood._

_The lights flickered on and off. Theo walked the long stretch of the hallway, listening for sounds or voices that could help him. He wanted to call out, but his voice was stuck in his throat and he wanted to scream and shout and call for someone please just someone–_

_Then he heard the footsteps._

_Theo turned around and there, at the end of the hallway, stood his sister. He knows what happens next._

_Theo’s sister immediately drops on her arms and legs and scrambles crawls grovels towards him. Theo could only run, run, run, and before he knows it, he’s reached the end of the hall and climbs a staircase._

_Theo found himself on the rooftop and he knows he’s screwed he’s trapped he’s done for –_

_Theo’s feet get dragged from under him and he screams he screams he screams –_

_He sees his sister bring her face to his._

_“Hello Theo.”_

_And he feels it. He feels her hand on his chest. In his chest. But. But she doesn’t rip his heart out. She doesn’t. She stabs him in the chest and all Theo could do is watch as she twists her hand in his chest and he screams and screams and screams and he can’t move he can’t get away –_

_But he’s alive. His sister doesn’t kill him. Theo thinks his nightmare is ending._

_Then he hears him._

_“Theo?”_

_Theo sees him. He’s down on the ground, his right leg in a cast. He’d broken his leg on the field playing lacrosse. He can’t move, they both can’t move, they’re helpless alone defenceless –_

_Theo’s sister crawls towards him. Theo wants to scream. Theo listens as he scampers away, screaming in terror, begging to stop stop stop don’t get closer –_

_Theo’s sister lifts him up by the neck. Theo wants to scream. Theo wants it to end. Theo hears his choked breathing and ragged voice crying help stop please and he choke and chokes and chokes. Theo wants her to let him go don’t touch him don’t you dare please let him go –_

_Theo’s sister brings her face close to his._

_“Hello Liam.”_

_And she rips Liam’s heart out, and throws him over the rooftop._

_Theo screams._

_“Liam!”_

_“Theo!”_

_“LIAM!”_

“THEO! WAKE UP! It’s just a dream, it’s just a dream, okay, it’s just a nightmare, it’s okay, it’s okay, I’m okay.”

Theo didn’t realize he was panting and out of breath until he got his senses together. Theo looked at the blank walls of the bedroom he was sleeping in. It was too dark to make out anything, and he couldn’t even concentrate to call his wolf to him to calm him down. He was ragged and raw and he felt like someone tore out screams from his throat and –

And he’s hugging Liam, like his life depended on it. Liam continued to whisper “it’s just a dream it’s okay shh I’m okay everything’s okay shh” in his ear, and felt Liam hugging him back, drawing soothing circles on his back. Theo concentrated on calming down. He brought his heartbeat to slower pace and after a few minutes, he’s finally calmed himself down.

Theo realized a beat later that he had matched his heartbeat with Liam’s.

”Are you good?” Theo heard Liam asked quietly. He didn’t know what to answer.

“I had a nightmare about her again.”

“I know.”

“She...she ripped my heart out.”

Liam didn’t say anything more. He just continued to stay there, drawing circles on Theo’s shoulders, and Theo sighed.

“You called out my name.”

“Hmm?”

“You called out my name,” Liam repeated. “That’s how you woke me up. You were screaming my name.”

Theo didn’t want to talk about it. He didn’t want to remember his nightmare. He didn’t want to go back there.

“Geez Liam, is that what you fantasize about when you wake up to me screaming? Would you like that, me screaming out your name?” Theo smirked, his voice a cocky rasp. He felt his throat hurt from the effort of speaking. Liam didn’t bite though.

“I’d rather you woke up normally instead of screaming.”

Theo hated it when Liam didn’t take his baits. Liam was always like this after Theo woke up from a nightmare, he was serious and steady, and didn’t give in to Theo’s provocations to change the topic drastically.

It wasn’t the first time Liam woke him up from his nightmares. On nights when he slept in Liam’s room and the two of them did what could be classified as bonding – as far as mutual exchange of insults and long periods of silence around each other in the same room could be called bonding – he would sometimes wake up from the nightmare of his sister ripping his heart out. Liam would stumble from his bed and head on over to where Theo was, and they’d lie together for a while before Liam crawled back to bed, and Theo would calm his rapidly beating heart by matching his heartbeat to Liam’s slow one, gently lulled back to sleep.

Theo felt Liam’s hold on him slacken, and he remembers Tara’s hands on Liam’s neck and –

Theo’s hand unconsciously grips harder on Liam’s shirt.

“Theo?”

“Could you stay here a while?” Theo asked, his voice betraying the hoarseness from screaming earlier.

“Okay.”

Theo tried to calm himself again. He closed his eyes and felt the other side of the bed in front of him dip, and he could feel Liam turn around and shift for a comfortable position, his back turned to Theo.

No words were said further.

In no time at all, Theo fell into dreamless sleep once more.

~

Liam expected to wake up in the bed in his room. So when he slowly woke up to his senses, even before opening his eyes, he knew he was _not_ in his room. When he did open his eyes, he saw the pale lavender walls of his parents’ room. He was tangled in sheets, and though he knows that naturally he should feel warm, he couldn’t help but feel that it’s _too_ warm. That’s when the arms around him and soft breathing on his neck registered to him. Immediately, Liam tensed up at his current position.

It wasn’t new that he and Theo slept in the same area; after the dust settled and Scott and the rest of the older members of the pack properly left for college, Liam kept running into Theo around town way too much. He was out on a night jog when he caught Theo’s scent in one of the dark corners of the suburbs, Theo’s truck a sad sight of weather beaten and bullet ridden. Theo didn’t even have glass for his windshield.

Liam didn’t notice he was knocking on Theo’s truck door until he registered Theo shift in his sleep.

_“Yeah, yes, sir, officer, I’m moving,” Theo mumbled, still half-asleep._

_“Theo?” Liam found himself speaking, “why are you sleeping in your broken truck?”_

_Theo immediately woke up and glared at Liam._

_“What does it look like dumbass? I’m sleeping.”_

_“In your truck?”_

_“No, in my goddamn mansion.”_

_Liam growled in frustration. Theo was already annoying when he was busy being difficult; it was another level of aggravating when he was being sarcastic too._

_“Why aren’t you at your house?” Liam asked._

_Theo thumped his head on the headrest. “Have you forgotten that you got Kira to drag me to hell months ago? No one’s left in town for me to turn to. I don’t have parents, real or fake, I don’t have a house, I don’t have a job,  I don’t have friends, and I’m running out of money soon so please, Liam, just go bother someone else.”_

_Liam immediately felt bad for Theo._

_The chimera groaned. “Liam, the overwhelming smell of your pity is annoying. Go away.”_

_“Why didn’t you tell anyone? Why didn’t you tell Scott? Does the Sheriff know? Theo, if you actually tried to talk to people instead of being a jerk –”_

_“Could you just leave me alone!” Theo yelled. Liam stopped._

_“Please.” Theo said. All of a sudden, Theo wasn’t the big bad chimera who turned them against each other once upon a time. He wasn’t the guy he summoned back from hell to be bait. He was just a guy who didn’t have anywhere or anyone to go to, and after everything that’s happened between the two of them, saving and fighting with each other, how could Liam just not do anything? How couldn’t he be there for Theo when Theo was there for him all those times before?_

_Much later on, Liam realized that was probably the turning point of their friendship._

_“I have a sleeping bag. You could sleep on my bedroom floor. You know where I live. Just thought you should have that choice at least.”_

_And Liam walked away, not even caring if Theo would accept, or what he thought about his offer. He finished his jog and went home. He took a shower, did his homework, and talked with Corey on the phone about what they should plan for Mason’s birthday in two weeks. It was past 11 and he was half-asleep when he heard knocking on his window._

_Without a word, he opened the window and let Theo in, pointing to the sleeping bag on his bedroom floor beside his bed. He barely spared Theo a glance before collapsing back to his bed and burying his head in his pillows._

_Although it was barely audible, Liam still heard Theo’s contented sigh and breathe a soft ‘thanks’._

_“Anytime,” he replied._

That was just the start of many nights that Theo slept in his bedroom. He would usually come n through the window and sleep on his floor, and when morning came he was gone, the only sign he was ever there was Liam’s sleeping bag rolled up at a corner of his room, tidied up from where he laid it out on the floor the previous night. When school break started, Theo even stayed in the mornings, joining Liam for breakfast when Liam’s mom or aunt and uncle weren’t home.

Waking up to the sound of each others’ nightmares became normal. Surprisingly, it was Liam who first had a nightmare that needed comforting. The first time it happened he woke up crying, still muttering Scott’s name as he woke up from a nightmare of killing him, and he’d feel strong arms around him, restraining him from thrashing. Theo would stay beside him until he calmed down, and they’d both go back to sleep – Liam on his bed, Theo in the sleeping bag.

Sometimes, he’d wake up to Theo thrashing in his nightmare, groans and bitten screams, and Liam would get out of bed to calm him down. He’d whisper soft assurances in his ear, and wait for him to calm down, and they’d both go back to sleep separately.

It was a whole thing, now that Liam thought about it, and now the strange looks Mason and Corey threw him sometimes when the couple saw him with Theo started to make sense.

Were he and Theo really that close now?

He didn’t have much room to think before he felt Theo snuggle into his nape and breathed a contented sigh. Theo’s arms around him pulled him closer, and Liam couldn’t breathe. He didn’t know how to in this situation, because one, this was a first, and two, he kind of liked being the little spoon to Theo.

As soon as the last thought crossed his mind, Liam checked himself in horror and refused to think further on that idea.

Nope. Not thinking about it. Not even going there.

“Theo?” The chimera only mumbled absently and tightened his grip.

“Theo.” Liam said his name louder this time.

“Mm-what?” Liam felt Theo’s warm breath on his neck. He suppressed the urge to shudder.

“It’s morning. Time to wake up. The pack might come to talk soon.” If Theo could hear how tense Liam sounded, he didn’t show. Instead he stayed silent and unmoving for a few seconds before disentangling from Liam.

Liam instantly felt cold without Theo pressing against him, but shook his head out of his thoughts. It was just him making up reasons to get out of his previous position, but it was still true: they were still in an alternate universe, and this universe’s Scott’s pack might come to them anytime to talk. Liam turned towards Theo and found the chimera staring at him.

“What?”

Theo shook his head. “Nothing.”

Liam was about to say something when they heard the clink of plates from downstairs. They were instantly on their feet; Liam had been so absorbed in waking up in Theo’s arms he didn’t focus on sensing possible enemies nearby. Without any more words, the two of them clambered silently downstairs to confront the intruders. However, instead of getting assaulted by enemies, they were assaulted by the smell of breakfast cooking.

Lydia Martin sat perched by the breakfast nook, nose buried in some book in an obscure language. She looked put together and busy; she donned a pastel pink summer dress, her hair in a high ponytail. Liam noted how he’s never seen their Lydia in that hairstyle. She had a mug of coffee on her other hand, and was taking a sip when she lifted her eyes and met Liam and Theo’s by the dining room entrance.

“You’re awake,” she said, raising an eyebrow. “Pretty late, it’s 9 already.”

“Cut them some slack Lyds, they must’ve taken a while to fall asleep. We did meet up at the loft pretty late, and I got them here much later.”

Liam saw Stiles come out from the kitchen carrying a plate of pancakes. Stiles was equally dressed up for the day: he had a dark navy blue letterman jacket over his white shirt. He wore dark jeans and a pair of combat boots. The biggest difference that Liam instantly spotted between this Stiles and his though, was that this Stiles, apparently, normally wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses.

“Is it just me, or do those two look like they came out of some teeny bopper Broadway musical?” Theo asked no one in particular.

“How rude,” Lydia sniffed, “Stiles and I just got back from meeting Alpha Hale this morning. Being Scott’s emissary and seer respectively, we had to report about me being at the forest trail last night. And you can’t really go out on a report-meeting with an Alpha looking less than your best.”

“That’s what Lydia says,” Stiles quipped, “I just keep quiet and let her dress me. Though we do kind of look like we took our clothes directly from a fashion catalogue, don’t we?”

“Enough small talk, I’m hungry,” Lydia sighed, pushing her book aside. She took her coffee mug and sat by the dining table, where Stiles set down the plate full of pancakes he carried.

“All right! Hope you enjoy this morning’s Pancakes a la Stilinski – thank God I managed to get this place’s water and power running an hour ago.”

Liam and Theo exchanged looks before deciding to sit down with Stiles and Lydia at the dining table.

They ate breakfast in relative peace, Stiles serving them coffee and pancakes. Lydia ate her breakfast the way Liam has known her to – in small dainty bites, eating neatly. Stiles ate a lot noisier, talking with his mouth full and occasionally taking huge forkfuls of pancake to fit in his mouth. Stiles almost choked at one point, and Lydia rolled her eyes before smacking Stiles’ back to help him. Liam couldn’t help but smile: no matter what universe they were in, Stiles and Lydia seem to drift to each other naturally.

“So!” Stiles started after finishing breakfast. Liam watched as he and Lydia gathered their mugs and plates and deposited them by the kitchen sink. “Question time!”

“I knew you were too quiet last night,” Theo muttered. Liam chuckled at the jab, and he saw Lydia hide a small smile.

“Oh shut up Theo, we both have questions here. I’m just betting I have more. Anyways, like Lydia admonished me earlier, proper introductions are in order. I am Stiles Stilinksi – Stiles isn’t my real name by the way, it’s some obscure Polish name that’s hard to pronounce, but I think you knew that already – and I am the McCall pack’s emissary. With me is Lydia Martin, the McCall pack’s seer and advisor. We come to you today in order to gauge and ascertain your motives and intentions, and what your stand is in the current issue that we face, which, fortunately, we don’t have to explain since you were at the Council meeting last night. How did that happen by the way? Derek isn’t really the best storyteller, can you tell me how Laura convinced Talia not to kill you on the spot?”

Liam was instantly winded by Stiles’s speech. He sounded so formal and political then casual and probing in the span of a minute. How did someone cram so many words under a minute? And did he ask them a question? He was pretty sure he did.

“Um, we got transported here by fae?” Liam answered.

Before Stiles could run away with the conversation, Lydia interjected. “Alpha Hale has told us of your sudden appearance last night. Alan Deaton was able to immediately identify you as individuals from a different plane of existence, and assured us that while you are not from this universe, you are not a threat. That is the reason we have allowed you this much freedom since last night.”

That actually answered some of the questions Liam had, and some that Stiles asked. So they were identified as not a threat – that was good to know.

“Apparently, that also means you are involved in our problems now,” Stiles continued. “Tal- Alpha Hale told us you know the Darach’s identity from a similar history from your universe?”

“Yeah,” Liam replied, “It was some time before I became part of Scott’s pack. They encountered a Darach that was at odds with Deucalion as well. In our universe though, Deucalion didn’t lead a typical pack, he lead an alpha pack.”

“An alpha pack?” Stiles asked, brows raised.

“Deucalion lead a pack of alpha werewolves, there were no betas in that pack,” Theo explained, “the pack fell apart though. The only survivors of that pack were Deucalion and the twins.”

“Twins?” Lydia asked, perking up at the mention of twins.

“Ethan and Aiden,” Theo replied drily, “they became omegas after the alpha pack collapsed. They tried integrating into Scott’s pack afterwards, but that didn’t work out either, for many various reasons and events that happened next.”

Liam could only look at Theo. How much did Theo really know about the McCall pack history? And how far back does Theo’s knowledge go?

“Ethan and Aiden? Really? In our universe, Scott came across our Ethan and Aiden as prisoners that some hunters kept and tortured for fun. That was some seriously bad shit that went down,” Stiles shared. Lydia sighed and shook her head lightly.

“So you know the Darach’s name right? You said it was a teacher at Beacon Hills High going by Jennifer Blake. Do you know what she looks like?” Lydia asked, steering the conversation in the right direction.

Liam glanced at Theo who shrugged. “All we know is that she can glam herself to look pretty as pretty as she wanted so she could hide her real face, which happens to be an ugly mug twisted by the dark magic she used.”

“Well, that’s a good start as any. That aside,” Stiles began, his eyes taking a curious glint in his eyes, “tell us all about your pack from your universe.”

Stiles and Lydia listened as Liam and Theo told the story of their pack and how it began: Liam told the first parts of the story from the bits and pieces his Scott and Stiles told him - the Hale family death’s history and Scott becoming a werewolf. He told them of the Argent family arriving in Beacon Hills, Scott and Allison being together, Peter’s insanity, Kate’s murder, Derek becoming Alpha, Jackson becoming a Kanima, and Derek biting three new betas.

Liam told them about Scott deceiving Gerard Argent the first time, filling his prescription pills with mountain ash to counteract the wolf’s bite. Lydia and Stiles listened with rapt attention.

“ _Poisoning Gerard Argent_? Damn, I can’t believe your Scott was capable of that. Gotta admit that was genius. Did the bastard die?”

“No,” Theo shook his head, “much later on, Scott gave Gerard a cure so he’d cooperate in taking down a common enemy.”

“ _Curing Gerard Argent?_ Okay, your Scott needs to like, chill. Seriously.”

“What happened after that?” Lydia asked.

By that point, Liam’s narrative was joined by Theo’s, outlining the Darach and Deucalion catastrophe as best as they could: the human sacrifices, the Alpha pack, Jennifer Blake integrating herself as a teacher at the high school, Cora’s rescue, Erica and Boyd’s deaths, and finally, the final fight between Scott, Derek, and Deucalion against the Darach, and saving Melissa, the Sheriff, and Argent from being sacrifices.

Stiles and Lydia gaped at being told Erica and Boyd were dead, despite them being from another universe, and were horrified at learning that Scott, Stiles, and Allison’s parents got dragged into the mess.

Liam stopped after that. At that that point in the story, Scott and Stiles would be vague and succinct in telling the story, both smelling of grief, pain, and miserable anger. Lydia was the only one who felt inclined to tell the story, but even she left out a lot of details, Liam could tell.

“What wrong? What happened after that?” Stiles asked impatiently, waving his arms around. Liam could tell that his silence intrigued Stiles, and he didn’t quite know how to proceed. He expected Theo to jump in straight to the story – after all, this was something Liam knew Theo knew in explicit detail having once wanted a “void Stiles” in his pack, but surprisingly, the chimera was quiet. He was pointedly staring at his mug.

“A lot of...a lot of bad things happened. Scott – my Scott, Stiles, and Lydia tried telling me the story, but I knew they didn’t really want to tell it. They were miserable.”

“In order to save your parents,” Theo began softly, “Scott, Stiles, and Allison needed to know where the Nemeton was, since it was where the Darach kept them to be sacrificed. But as you know, the Nemeton isn’t easy to locate deliberately. So they did the only thing they could in the hours before the lunar eclipse happened – they induced themselves in a half-dead state to connect themselves to the Nemeton, therefore gaining knowledge of its location. But that had an adverse effect: it brought the dead tree back to life.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “Okay. Okay, that is – that is multiple levels of creepy. Are you saying that alternate us connected their souls to a _dead supernatural-beacon tree_?”

“Pretty much. And it worked, but the side effects of such a ritual were severe,” Theo continued. “Scott kept losing control of his wolf form. Allison kept seeing visions of her dead aunt. And Stiles kept having nightmares so bad that he couldn’t distinguish reality from dreaming. They were a wreck.”

“Bardo,” Lydia interjected, “they were trapped in a half-alive, half dead state. Loss of body control, seeing hallucinatory visions, and endless looping nightmares are some of its symptoms. Given time to progress, it would have killed them.”

Stiles’s jaw dropped.

“Obviously, they didn’t, if they’re talking about us in present tense.”

“You know I can’t help but notice that you,” Stiles looked at Liam, “never mention Allison. I haven’t heard you say her name whenever we talk about your pack. What, did this particular event lead to a falling out with her? Did she go homicidal on us? Did it go that bad?”

Theo was silent as he waited for Liam’s answer. Liam on the other hand, fidgeted silently with his hands before looking back at Stiles and Lydia for his answer.

“Yeah,” his voice softer than he meant it to be, “I think it was really bad that everyone acted like it didn’t happen, like they were wilfully trying to forget it. But it was obvious how badly they were affected by it. All I know was that Stiles was possessed by an evil fox spirit, and almost everyone in the pack came close to dying at some point.”

Stiles was stunned at his alternate version’s involvement, and he and Lydia waited for Liam to continue.

“I became part of my Scott’s pack a few months after the Nogitsune fight. I heard that Isaac left for France because our Stiles mentioned him a few times in passing. And I only met Ethan recently because he came back with Jackson from London,” Liam paused, trying to gauge the possible reactions of the two before him. “I never met Allison.”

“Ethan was with Jackson? What about Aiden?” Lydia questioned.

“Ethan told me he died during the fight against the _oni_ that the Nogitsune had in his control. And Ethan and Jackson are engaged, living in London.”

“Ethan and Jackson are _engaged?_ ” Lydia screeched a little, “as in they are planning to _get married?_ In London no less? Tell me, am I at least invited to the wedding?”

“Jackson invited you to be his maid-of-honor. Or best woman. I’m not sure what the term is, but you and Jackson went shopping for clothes for the occasion, even dragging Stiles with you,” Theo supplied.

From that point, Liam and Theo’s narrative became a mix of past events and current affairs in the pack; Liam told them about his joining the pack, the bounty hunters, Scott almost becoming a mindless Berserker, Kate becoming a she-wolf, and Derek splitting ways with the pack in Mexico. Theo gave Lydia details in current events: Malia and Isaac meeting in France, Scott taking the time to visit Nemetons around the globe, who was currently in London with Ethan and Jackson, and Stiles and Lydia wreaking academic havoc and kicking up storms in their respective fields in college.

Liam told them of Lydia’s stay in Eichen House, the Dread Doctors, Mason being possessed by the _La Bête_ , and Kira leaving with the Skin Walkers.

“The Dread Doctors wanted to create the perfect chimera, so they did. They had the perfect chimera meet with us and become pack. We didn’t know better, and we let him. Then he got us one by one, and almost broke the pack apart. Thankfully, we got our acts together before we fell apart completely. Anyways, the Dread Doctors wanted to experiment with the _La Bête_ , but we managed to stop both threats in time.”

Theo stared at Liam as the beta blatantly left out Theo’s name in his narrative, only calling the referring to Theo’s persona as “the perfect chimera”. Liam ignored his companion’s insistent stare, and forged on with his story.

As he went on with retelling the story, Liam supposed he gets it a little now, why the older pack members gloss so much over the stories they tell.

There are truths you don’t want people to know, simply because others might misunderstand and get the wrong idea. Liam knows that they have been identified as a non-threat, and nothing in their past could hurt them in the present as it was, but what would Stiles and Lydia think if they knew the truth about the two of them? How would Stiles react to knowing it was Theo who orchestrated their packs almost-downfall? How he was indirectly involved in having their Stiles kill someone, even if it was self defense? How would they react knowing Liam almost killed Scott simply because his Alpha made a choice he didn’t like on the Super Moon?

No. Liam may not have as much to hide as Theo, but one secret led to another, and Liam wasn’t keen on unravelling that thread to where it would lead.

The last part of the story was told together in complementing narratives by Liam and Theo, omitting the part where Liam summoned Theo back from what hell Kira’s sword trapped him in. They told Stiles and Lydia about the Wild Hunt, Stiles’s disappearance, Douglas, the Lowenmensch, disguised as their high school teacher (“What is it with the villains always masquerading as high school teachers?” Stiles muttered), and finally, the Hunter War against Monroe and Gerard.

Liam wrapped up the story. “That happened months ago, and that’s why my Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Malia aren’t around, since they’re in college. I’m on my last term in high school, and now the Peter calls me telling me about the fae, and I went to Dr. Deaton who was missing, and me and Theo met up, and then...”

“Here we are,” Theo finished.

Liam was a little apprehensive. Because of Theo talking to Lydia about Ethan and Jackson’s engagement, they managed to derail the conversation from going in depth with what happened with Allison. He knew Stiles noticed his deliberate avoidance of the topic and let it slide for the mean time, but Liam knew Stiles was just waiting for the right opportunity to ambush him on the topic.

Stiles and Lydia didn’t speak for a while. Lydia gave Stiles a piercing look, and Stiles smiled at her lopsidedly. She raised an eyebrow back, and Stiles just shrugged, then gave her a brief nod and smiled. Liam was amazed at the silent conversation the two of them had, having no need for words to convey what the other wanted to say.

Lydia cleared her throat before she spoke.

“By the sound of it, not only are you from an alternate universe, but from an advanced time frame as well. Your versions of us are already in college, while we’re still in high school. Coincidentally, we’re in our last term as well, same as you.”

“So we’re all around the same age here?”

“Seems like it,” Stiles confirmed.

“Not me,” Theo interjected. “I’m a few months older than our Stiles, so that makes me almost two years older than you.”

“Moving on,” Lydia continued, “as courtesy, I suppose we could tell you about our pack’s history.” Liam and Theo nodded, both curious. “Obviously, the Hale family is alive here, so there’s your big difference. Because of certain events that transpired a few years back, the Hale family was persuaded to come out as werewolves to Sheriff Stilinski to better protect Beacon Hills. Together with my grandmother, Lucinda Martin, she, the Hales, and the Sheriff formed what was known throughout the supernatural world as the Beacon Council.”

“What happened?” Liam blurted out. Stiles chuckled.

“A meeting between packs was to take place at a remote connection for territory discussion,” Lydia answered. “When most of the Alphas of the packs involved were assembled, rogue members of the Calavera hunters swooped in and engaged in what could have been a mass murder of Alphas. That disaster was averted thanks to Alpha Hale arriving late with the entire Hale pack, together with select deputies under Sheriff Stilinski’s discretion. They knew about the murder because they were warned by my grandmother, who at the time took express means to cut ties with the supernatural world.”

“So your grandmother risked her stance of uninvolvement to warn you all, and in turn saved everyone,” Theo summarized.

“Anyways, that’s old history. You’re more curious about our pack’s history, aren’t you?” Stiles asked impatiently. Liam grinned.

“I am! So if Peter didn’t turn Scott in this universe, how did you guys get involved with everything?” Stiles’s eyes twinkled in delight, and promptly told the story.

“So, as all good stories go, it started with two boys looking for a dead body in the woods...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter we'll have the story of the alternate universe's version of events, so stay with me. :)


	4. Part 3: Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles and Lydia tell their side of the story. Includes story commentary, dissing cars, and questionable interrogation methods.

The story went like this:

On their first year, there had been a string of animal attacks in Beacon Hills that had the county sheriff’s department imposing a county-wide curfew. The body count had reached the double digits, and when news of only half a human body was found in the woods broke out, that was a clear indication that it was more than just animal attacks.

Obviously, as the son of the sheriff and in possession of exactly one secretly confiscated police radio from the station, Stiles went to Scott’s place one night to look for the other half of the dead body. The two of them managed to wander into the woods deeply enough before they got caught by Sheriff Stilinski, who hauled Stiles back to the cruiser. Scott stayed back, looking for the inhaler he dropped.

That’s when he got bitten.

The following day, when Scott and Stiles went back to the forest to look for Scott’s inhaler, they came across Derek Hale on his morning jog in the forest. Derek immediately smelled the scent of the wolf on Scott, and dragged both boys back to the Hale residence.

Talia Hale immediately contacted Sheriff Stilinski on the matter and much later, Melissa McCall as well. Scott and Stiles were severely reprimanded for reckless behavior that led to Scott being bitten, but Stiles stood his ground that they were fine since Scott obviously didn’t die from the Bite, and that his best friend would be able to adapt anyway.

_(“I swear to God every single Hale member was rolling their eyes at me. It’s a family talent I tell you!” Stiles cried.)_

Because Scott was a new wolf under unusual circumstances, he had to live with the Hales in order to train and help him ease into being a werewolf. Despite having an entire family dote on him, Scott immediately took to Derek, and vice versa. Talia often referenced that Scott was the perfect “little brother” that Derek never had.

Stiles, on the other hand, was heavily grounded, but still found ways to sneak off and look for trouble. Much later, he got acquainted with Alan Deaton, who saw a ‘spark’ in him, and started giving Stiles vague tips on how to at least survive in the supernatural world. Stiles came with Scott at the Hale house often after school, and got along well with Laura and Philip Hale.

_(To Liam’s amusement, Derek and Stiles in this universe were equally sarcastic and snarky with each other as theirs were, with Stiles interspersing his narrative with complaints about the number of times Derek has pushed him against vertical surfaces. Lydia rolled her eyes every time.)_

The Argents came to town a few weeks after Scott got bitten, meeting with the local pack – the Hales in this case – to help in resolving the problem with the rogue Alpha. The matriarch of the Argents, Victoria Argent, had fallen victim to the rogue Alpha’s attack and died from the Bite, and having Chris being the head of the family, he knew it was time to cooperate with allies who knew how to handle the situation better.

Allison and Scott met at school and fell in love, and thus began the star-crossed love between a werewolf and werewolf hunter.

_(“Stiles, it wasn’t star-crossed,” Lydia said._

_“But there was sneaking up on the balcony involved! And Chris was against it, remember?”_

_“I remember that you and Laura encouraged the climbing up the balcony part.”_

_“I was also against the getting-caught-between-sexy-times-and-getting-shot-by-wolfsbane-bullets part.”_

_“I’m pretty sure that was Derek.”_

_“Me and Derek then.”_

_“Of course it’s the two of you. And applicable to you two as well,” Lydia replied archly. Theo chuckled while Liam was confused.)_

After many more misadventures finding the rogue Alpha, they managed to identify who it was: it was a man named Randolph Ennis, an Alpha whose pack had been razed by a hunter. Turns out said hunter was Chris Argent’s estranged sister, Kate Argent, who was in Beacon Hills to kill Ennis but brutally murdered by the rogue Alpha by a slash to the throat. By then Ennis had gone completely off the rails and was feral, and Talia had no other choice but to put him down.

The problems would have stopped there, except the body count kept rising, this time distinguished by people getting into freak accidents. With Melissa in the know of the supernatural, she was able to identify that all the victims had a toxin in their bodies that paralyzed them at the time of death, or in this case, murder.

With the Hale’s vast fount of knowledge, they were able to deduce that a kanima had been terrorizing Beacon Hills, exacting people’s revenge at random, and was seeking a master. The matter was resolved fairly quickly when they identified the kanima as Jackson Whittemore who, like Scott, got the Bite from Ennis and survived, but instead became a creature that was twisted enough to resist becoming a wolf and become something else.

Lydia, who at the time was just like her grandmother years ago, broke her airheaded act and approached Scott with a warning that there were going to be a lot of deaths if her ex-boyfriend’s master isn’t found. They later find the kanima’s master as Matt Daehler, but things took a turn for the complicated when Gerard Argent made an appearance and murdered Matt. Gerard then became the kanima’s new master, and there was a whole week of kanima rampaging that was only put to a stop with the Hales’ pursuit, the Sheriff’s cooperation, Stiles’s interference and Lydia’s involvement.

Gerard was severely injured in the aftermath but managed to escape, and Jackson became a half-werewolf-half-kanima hybrid that was brought back to sanity and humanity by the power of love.

_(Stiles gagged at this part of the story, and Lydia smacked him upside the head. It was funny, Liam would admit, but he secretly liked this part of the story, of love bringing someone back to them.)_

Talia Hale acknowledged Stiles and Lydia’s bravery to be involved and therefore agreed to take them in as honorary members of the Hale pack. As for Jackson, he stayed with the Hales in order to help him adjust to being a werewolf. Lydia then underwent banshee training under her grandmother Lucinda and another banshee named Meredith, while Stiles... Stiles got grounded.

_(“I save an entire town and what do I get? Grounded! Where is the justice in that!”_

_“It’s not like you missed much. Scott kept you informed about what happened didn’t he?”_

_“Scott came with Laura, and my dad was in the kitchen keeping an ear out to make sure the two of them didn’t tell me anything interesting.”_

_“I’m pretty sure Derek climbing into your window every night was interesting enough.”_

_Stiles sputtered for a reply, claiming it was all supernatural research. Liam didn’t need werewolf senses to sense the lie in that one.)_

A few weeks after that, their universe’s version of the Hunter War began. A bunch of Gerard’s fanatics led a huge army of hunters into Beacon Hills with the express desire of eliminating every supernatural creature in existence. Gerard himself was the war’s Benefactor, supplying them with weaponry and firearms, while maintaining his distance from the county.

Stiles, Allison, and Lydia had been hanging out one particular night at a group study, and on his way home, Stiles was kidnapped by hunters who suspected he was a supernatural creature. When he was proven to not be one, he was kept as a prisoner instead upon finding out of his association with the local pack.

The Sheriff raised hell to look for his son and worked with every pack in Beacon Hills to fight against the hunters threatening the peace, all in exchange for the sheriff’s protection and alliance with the Hale pack. Scott, Allison, Lydia, and Derek went against the Hale pack and Beacon Council’s directive and went looking for Stiles themselves, managing to find Stiles after three weeks, who at that point had been tortured for information he refused to give.

_(Lydia had grown quiet at this point while Stiles smiled brightly. There was more to the story that they weren’t telling, and looking at the strange brightness of Stiles’s smile as Lydia told that part of the story was an indication that something in him snapped after that event. Liam wisely let it slide.)_

That was how they became acquainted with Ethan and Aiden, who they rescued along with Stiles from the hunters’ stronghold.

That incident left a lot of packs with heavy casualties, with three whole packs being completely wiped out. In the ensuing fight between Scott and Monroe, Scott became a True Alpha in his desire to protect the werewolves.  The betas that Scott saved that day were the only three remaining betas from the Satomi pack, who immediately accepted Scott as their Alpha.

That was how Isaac Lahey, Erica Reyes, and Vernon Boyd became Scott’s first betas.

After the incident, the Beacon Council discussed Scott’s unique situation, and it was mutually agreed that Scott was allowed to have a pack of his own. Stiles volunteered to be his emissary, and Lydia grabbed the seat of seer and advisor. Jackson, who was under the Hale pack’s werewolf training at the time, also asked to join Scott’s pack per Lydia’s recommendation. Ethan and Aiden, who at that point were omegas, also accepted the chance to become part of a pack again.

_(“Naturally, Dad was against me being an emissary, but I managed to convince him,” Stiles added._

_“How’d you manage that?” Liam asked._

_“I may or may not have pulled the I-am-a-vulnerable-human-in-a-wolf-pack-and-I-need-to-protect-myself card to convince him to let me train in defending myself by being an emissary. Also, Scott.”_

_“Knowing Stiles, he managed to learn more than just emissary magic as self-defense. He now competes with me for Allison’s best friend status as he and Allison now bond over their mutual love of weaponry. Stiles is now also proficient in hand-to-hand combat courtesy of one specific werewolf,” Lydia added.)_

The most surprising member of Scott’s pack was Derek Hale, who Talia Hale agreed would be a better fit for the young Alpha’s pack than in their already big Hale pack. Derek, after transcending his limits in the effort to look for Stiles, achieved the Hale family gift of a full-wolf shift – the ability to completely transform into a wolf.

_(“As of present, only Talia, Laura, and Derek have the full-wolf shift, a Hale family special ability. Malia is capable of a full-shift too, but as a coyote rather than a wolf, but that’s a separate matter. Derek’s a special case, since while he isn’t Alpha material, he is qualified to become a True Alpha’s suitable theurge.” Stiles explained._

_“What’s a theurge, and is it required for a pack to have one?” Liam asked._

_“No, but a pack having a theurge is a sign of power and prestige. Theurges are miracle workers essentially, and are basically supernatural creatures that possess greater power or abilities than those of their kind. Werewolf theurges are stronger than betas, and can almost be as strong as an Alpha. They’ve also transcended the common weaknesses of lycanthropy such as mountain ash, and have high-immunity to complete-immunity against wolfsbane,” Lydia answered._

_“Were the Hales conflicted with having one of their family members leave their pack to join Scott’s?” Theo asked._

_“Not much really. Derek really liked having Scott around so everybody found it unsurprising when Derek asked his mom if he could be in Scott’s pack. There was a fight between Laura and Derek, with Laura claiming Derek thought she wasn’t good Alpha material. They spent a whole month not talking to each other, but they got over it. Even Laura could see that Derek was doing better as a wolf in our pack than in theirs, so she resolved to become okay with it,” Stiles replied.)_

By the end of the first half of their second year, the McCall pack was established, and after the success of thwarting what could have been a huge supernatural genocide, the Beacon Council became somewhat the cornerstone of supernatural creatures forming what could be considered an underground community in the country.

With everything that happened, multiple facets needed to be addressed when it came to the supernatural world. Talia dealt with delegation and communication; the Sheriff with coordination with other stations aware of the supernatural; Chris Argent with other hunters who followed the code; Melissa McCall with medical concerns and studies in coordination with Deaton, and Lucinda Martin was the chief advisor and seer of the future.

Because of this, the Beacon Council became responsible for managing multiple packs and groups of creatures in the large general vicinity, and the protection of Beacon Hills fell into the responsibility of the McCall pack.

It was in the middle of their second term in second year that Tara Raeken made her appearance. A new threat called the Dread Doctors were on the hunt for supernatural creatures to experiment with, looking to create the perfect chimera. Tara approached Scott and became pack, and helped the McCall pack stop the Dread Doctors from continuing to wreck havoc in Beacon Hills.

_(Stiles and Lydia looked at Theo as they began telling Tara’s part in the story. Liam could see they were trying to gauge his reaction, but Theo kept his face neutral. Liam stared at Theo for different reasons. He couldn’t help but think: if Theo had done the same thing Tara did in this universe, could Theo have been accepted part of the pack sooner? Would Theo not have suffered so much if he realized he was on the wrong side of the fight early on?_

_Liam shook his head. He didn’t want to dwell on it. And it didn’t matter anyway – Theo was with him and they were in this together in the present. From someone who’s had history making lots of bad choices, he knows perfectly well that someone’s past doesn’t define their present.)_

The Doctors had been on a hunt for the beast of fire, which they later identified as a Hellhound. It took a while to locate who the Hellhound was, and most of the chimeras that the pack had been stopping had all dropped dead one by one, either killed off by the Doctors themselves or died due to their body rejecting the supernatural procedures done on them.

Later, it was Stiles and Erica who identified one of the Sheriff’s deputies as the Hellhound, Deputy Jordan Parrish. The Doctors had almost succeeded in getting to Parrish, but were stopped when the Hellhound inside the deputy lost control, and killed off all the Dread Doctors and remaining chimeras. Lydia was able to calm down the Hellhound and get Parrish back by her banshee’s call.

In the end, Parrish became the Sheriff’s immediate lookout for the supernatural at the station, and because he was a Hellhound, an exceptional supernatural creature, he was invited to the Beacon Council’s meetings from time to time.

Everything could have ended nicely, but Tara’s body began to give out from the stress of helping the pack save everyone from total chaos. She died peacefully at Scott’s house, the pack all together to say their goodbyes.

_(“Did it hurt? Was she in pain when she died?” Theo asked quietly._

_“No. Scott kept siphoning off her pain until she there was none to take. She died comfortably, surrounded by everyone,” Lydia answered._

_“She was happy I guess, despite how she knew she was dying in the end,” Stiles added, equally quiet._

_“Thanks,” Theo replied._

_Liam knew it was a complicated thing with Theo’s sister. Liam thinks maybe Theo needed this version of his sister; one who had the chance to grow, to have friends, a pack, and feel loved. Happy. Liam hated the thought that the only the memory Theo had of Tara now only involved memories of her dragging him down to hell, and ripping his heart out._

_It’s a thought he keeps, and Liam supposed he could use that in the future maybe, to chase away the nightmares; a wonderful memory of Theo’s sister from another world.)_

Their third year started well enough, but right from the start something felt off. It was only two weeks into their first term when new numbers of bounty hunters came to town, all with the intent of killing supernaturals for sport in exchange for money. Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Ethan, and Aiden had close calls with a few hunters, but were managed to be saved by a new girl in town, Kira Yukimura.

On the other hand, drama ran high in the Hale House when Felicia, Peter’s wife, discovered that Peter had sired a child with a Desert Wolf, and that Peter’s child out of wedlock had apparently been living as a coyote in the Hale territory.

_(“You would not believe the amount of stuff Felicia trashed in the Hale house when she confronted Peter about it. I think Talia gave up trying to fix the situation and just downed a few bottles of wolfsbane wine to drown out the chaos,” Stiles chuckled._

_“Really? All I remember was Jackson and the twins trying to goad Philip Hale into trying the wolfsbane punch,” Lydia smiled in recollection._

_“Punch? Why was there punch?” Liam asked._

_“Peter was getting chewed out by his wife for making stupid choices in his teenage years. So of course we did the only logical thing to do,” Stiles waved._

_“Wait, you threw a_ party _?” Liam asked incredulously. Lydia threw him a ‘duh’ look._

_“We threw a party at the Hale house. It was a joint Hale-McCall pack celebration extravaganza! We figured that if we were going to get screwed with people trying to kill us every school term, we might as well throw a party when we can,” Stiles laughed._

_“The whole marriage thing was between Felicia and Peter anyways, none of us had much say in that,” Lydia agreed, “Peter’s daughter on the other hand was another story.”)_

Scott, Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd went out to look for the werecoyote that lived deep in the woods, and managed to locate her.

Malia Tate, taking her mother’s last name, had been living most of her life deep in the woods as a coyote ever since a bad encounter with a hunters years ago left her scared to change back into human form. Because of that, she had a lot of things to readjust to in order to become part of human society again, and Stiles was handed the task of doing so because he was the pack’s emissary.

_(“She ate rabbits. Raw. I think I’d never see the day my dad would willingly go vegan at the dining table until Malia came to dinner carrying a dead deer in her bloody hands.”_

_“At least now she knows not to take dead rabbits and deer back into your house,” Lydia amended, “all that blood is hard to wash off, even if it’s a tile floor.”_

_“She walked around the house wearing nothing.”_

_“It’s not like you minded it at the time.”_

_Stiles gaped at Lydia and was struck silent. Liam noted that Stiles didn’t deny that statement, and Theo chuckled, getting the subliminal message that this was a running joke between Stiles and Lydia. Also, Theo couldn’t help but think that this Stiles really knew how to get it.)_

As the number of bounty hunters in Beacon Hills increased and bodies kept turning up, the Beacon Council had to step in. They managed to get a copy of a ‘dead pool’ containing names of supernaturals in Beacon Hills thanks to Lydia, as Kira and her mother, Noshiko, had to be actively involved after the two of them almost got killed one night.

Noshiko Yukimura, a kitsune hundreds of years old, became the most recent member of the Beacon Council.

Eventually, they managed to destroy the line of communications between the bounty hunters and their Patron, and after extensive digging around, they finally found out who was responsible for it all.

Apparently, Kate Argent didn’t die when Ennis slashed her throat; instead, she became a She-wolf that was on the prowl for revenge against the Hale pack. In the time she was gone, she had amassed a fortune enough to pay for hit services to get rid of supernatural creatures in Beacon Hills, figuring it would send the Hale pack scrambling and she could pick them off one by one. She didn’t count on a new pack like Scott’s throwing a wrench in her plans.

The pack managed to beat Kate back that time, but the She-wolf still managed to escape. The Beacon Council took over plans of pursuing Kate Argent while the McCall pack finally got a break from running around the county, having their parents tell them to concentrate on school. Kira and Malia officially joined the McCall pack shortly, and when Malia moved in to live at the Hale house, Felicia took it upon herself to teach her husband’s daughter to become a decent werecoyote.

_(“Felicia and Peter are okay now, but when you have Cat, Cal, and Malia under same roof, Felicia likes to give Peter shit for it. We still hold drinking parties at the Hale house every alternate Saturdays. Talia has a drinking problem I think. I told my dad they should go to counseling together,” Stiles quipped._

_“_ Alpha Hale _does not have a drinking problem – you’re just an enabler. I don’t even know how you managed to convince Deaton to teach you to make wolfsbane mixes to intoxicate wolves,” Lydia glared at Stiles._

_“Oh, that’s because Deaton didn’t teach me.”_

_Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Do I want to know?”_

_“I’ll give you the recipe later,” Stiles smiled, dodging the topic and pleasing the banshee at the same time. Lydia hummed a note of approval, flicking her ponytail behind her._

_Liam and Theo looked at each other. They had one thought in their heads: it was definitely a goal to land themselves in that party.)_

The rest of the term passed in thankful silence, with the pack focusing on midterms and catching up on their social life. Nothing had gone on for the remaining two months of the school term, and school break had just started when Derek Hale called the pack to assemble at his loft. A Beacon Council meeting had just ended, and the threat of Deucalion, a Darach, fae, and two people from an alternate universe just started.

~

“Which brings us to the present,” Stiles finished, throwing jazz hands in Liam and Theo’s direction.

“Wait, if Derek is part of Scott’s pack, then what was Derek doing at the Council meeting?” Theo asked.

“McCall pack representative,” Lydia replied, “because we’re a pack residing in Hale territory, we’re responsible for attending the council meetings as an act of respect towards the territory’s governing pack. The task of attending the council meeting regularly circulates between me, Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Derek. Isaac started attending them with Scott, and Erica with Stiles. It was Derek’s turn last night.”

 After hearing such a story, Liam couldn’t help but be amazed. This universe’s pack had it all so put together right from the beginning that looking back at the pack in his universe, Liam couldn’t help but feel sorry. He could sort of understand that silence between Stiles and Lydia after they ended their story – even he felt sorry for himself.

Liam thought back to the last few months back in his universe. Other than his unexpected close friendship with Theo and attending high school with Mason and Corey, a few things resembling order had slowly begun to take place. Deaton, Peter, and Theo had kept close to the pack as their help and advisors, while the older pack members coordinated with Chris Argent to help save supernaturals on the run from hunters under Monroe’s control.

One of their new pack members, Alec, had opted to stay with Derek to train as a werewolf. The witches Liza and Alexander were with Lydia at MIT, while a half-kanima-half-werejaguar named Henry was attending the same pre-FBI program Stiles was in, and from the photo updates they had in their group chat, the two hit it off brilliantly.

Liam felt a little left out still being in high school, and counting the months until he graduates and gets out of Beacon Hills were basically the only things keeping him from going out of his mind stuck in the small town of Beacon county.

Mason, Corey, and Theo helped take his mind off his overthinking, of course.

He imagines going somewhere far, like New York, and having regular Skype sessions with Mason as he attends somewhere prestigious like Harvard or Stanford, and Liam would hear about him and Corey through calls and texts. Liam would rent some cheap place on student loan, and go to NYU and be just regular old Liam Dunbar. He’d wake up to nights with Theo stumbling in his apartment, and they’d grab breakfast together in the morning, maybe even get coffee at a local cafe before heading to campus, and they’d be tourists in New York, seeing the sights.

Liam smiled at the thought that no matter how large New York was, he knew he’d somehow run into Theo at unexpected places anyway.

Liam doesn’t try to analyze why his future plans include Theo in them.

 _We’re friends, like I am with Mason and Corey. I’m allowed to think of him being part of my life,_ Liam thought, _there’s nothing wrong with thinking like that_.

“Liam!”

Liam snapped out of his thinking as Stiles snapped his fingers in front of his face.

“Whuh?”

“You okay there? You got kinda lost in thought,” Stiles asked.

“I’m fine,” Liam sighed, “I was just thinking how you guys have it all together.”

Lydia sneaked a look at Stiles, and the emissary’s smile looked a little sadder. It was a look Liam never got to see Stiles wear often. In his universe, he’d get that look when something reminded him of his mom or Derek.

“It only looks that way, you know? Of course we look like we have it all together – we have adults to take care of the serious stuff before they get to us. And just take a look at the pack at school; it’s a mess.”

“Really?”

“Liam, our Alpha has supplementary classes during break to catch up with his grades. Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Jackson, Kira, and the twins have multiple unexcused absences. Malia is home-schooled because she spent the last decade as a coyote in the forest.”

“And you?” Theo asked.

“Me, Stiles, Allison, and Danny are in AP classes. I’m running for valedictorian and Stiles salutatorian.”

Liam wondered why Theo even bothered asking. Universal constant: Lydia is a genius and Stiles is insanely smart.

Stiles motioned to gather the empty plates and mugs, which was a clear indication that breakfast was over. Lydia stood in one fluid motion and gathered her book and bag and made ready to leave, calling out to Stiles in the kitchen.

“Go ahead and wait in the car, Lyds. I still have to wash the dishes.”

Lydia opened her mouth to say something, but whatever it was, she didn’t continue as she closed her mouth in a firm line. Liam knew Stiles didn’t say anything, but he must’ve made an expression that communicated something unsaid with Lydia. Liam stood up as Lydia made to leave the dining area. Theo stayed seated.

“Alright. Liam, Theo, pack meeting after lunch, Scott’s place. Be there.” Lydia sashayed down the hallway and out the house, and went inside what Liam presumed was Stiles’s jeep. The only sounds in the house were the running water and squeak of washed dishes.

Liam couldn’t help but smell Lydia’s annoyed and worried aura as she departed. Whatever Stiles signaled to her, it put her off immediately, and unlike the usual Lydia who would argue with Stiles, she had strangely resigned and retreated, leaving whatever Stiles planned to do after washing the dishes to the emissary.

Liam felt Theo nudge his foot a little. He glanced at Theo and noticed his heartbeat was beginning to race. Theo looked like he was paralyzed.

“Liam, I can’t move,” Theo whispered.

“What? What do you mean? Theo, what happened? Are you in pain?”

“He’s not in any pain, I can assure you. He’s just paralyzed.”

Liam whipped his head to look at Stiles as the older male leaned by the entry way. Now without his glasses, Stiles looked distant and cold, detached, his eyes a piercing look that instinctively made Liam freeze. His voice was low and cool, not containing Stiles’s jovial tone.

Stiles held up what looked like a small glowing blue crystal in his hand, and quickly pocketed it. Liam couldn’t help but stare as Stiles strode slowly to their table, his pace relaxed, but oozed confidence. He didn’t wear the kind of cocky bravado that Theo wore back then when he was the enemy; Stiles’s confidence looked analyzing, like he stared down at someone’s soul and knew exactly how to break them.

“Crystals are so convenient to carry. They can contain spells for easy use when I need it. The best part is that they don’t even _feel_ or _smell_ like magic. They just are.”

“Stiles, what are you doing?” Liam asked, placing a hand between him and the emissary.

“You don’t need to be so defensive. I’m not here to harm you,” Stiles _smirked_ , “I just have to make sure you’re not hiding anything that will harm the pack.”

“We’re not here to cause trouble,” Theo mumbled beside Liam, still paralyzed.

“Sure, you’re not,” Stiles drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm, “you appear out of nowhere with news of fae and the Darach’s identity, and to wrap the ribbon on the present, you claim to be pack from another universe. How fucking convenient is that?”

“What do you want?” Liam asked.

“Liam Dunbar, aren’t you Scott’s beta? If I’m pack, shouldn’t you know what I want? Shouldn’t you know better?”

Stiles took another step in their direction. Liam stood up and placed himself directly in between Theo and Stiles. The older male chuckled. Liam knew exactly what Stiles wanted. His Stiles was anal about data – loose information and theories tacked across his murder board, connecting dots with yarn to form the bigger narrative. He entertained hard facts and crazy ideas, and was open to any kind of idea, concept, or information that puts him and the pack one step ahead of the game.

To be the one with the answers, to have the upper hand – that’s what Stiles wants.

“What do you want to know?” Liam asked.

“What really happened during your pack’s fallout with the chimera?” Stiles asked.

“Why do you want to know about that?”

“It’s not that I want to know,” Stiles said lightly, “but rather the fact you glossed over that part of your elaborate tale so badly made me curious enough to wonder what could have happened. Tell me, what happened?”

Liam began. “The chimera –”

“Theo.”

“What?” Theo rasped.

“Don’t even think of trying to bullshit your way into the story Liam. On the flip side, you have me convinced now of your beta status. You really are Scott’s beta – you’re just as a terrible liar as he is,” Stiles sneered.

Liam could feel Theo’s rapid heartbeat from behind him. With no sudden movements, Liam shifted his arm and placed his hand on Theo’s shoulder to offer at least some form of physical reassurance. Stiles’s eyes drifted to the physical contact before flicking his gaze back to Liam.

“Before we knew of the Dread Doctors themselves, Theo came back to Beacon Hills. Scott had no qualms with accepting him since he, Theo, and Stiles were friends back when they were kids. Naturally, our Stiles was skeptic at Theo’s reappearance,” Liam said, looking pointedly at Stiles.

“It went on a slow spiral downwards. Theo integrated himself into the pack to the point where he made Scott feel unneeded. He headed a pack of chimera from the Dread Doctors, and caused havoc in Beacon Hills. When Lydia figured out what Theo really was and what he was doing, Theo assaulted her and stopped her from blowing his cover. He alienated Stiles from Scott by having Stiles kill someone in self defense. He drove Malia to follow deeper into her inner coyote. He derailed our attention from the dark kitsune in Kira and encouraged her to rely on it.”

Liam paused. He could feel Theo’s concerned stare directed towards him.

“When one of the chimeras who was my friend at the time, Hayden, was dying, I asked Scott to give her the Bite so she’d live. He refused, saying he didn’t know what an Alpha Bite would do to a dying chimera. And I was just so angry, and I felt betrayed. So Theo planted the idea that if I was Alpha, I could save Hayden. On the night of the Super Moon, Theo locked me and Scott in the library lined with mountain ash. I –”

Liam choked on his breath. This was always the hardest part of the memory – the one that sneaked into his nightmares that woke him up gasping and close to tears.

“I almost killed Scott. He would’ve died if Mason hadn’t stopped me in time. And Scott doesn’t even hold it against me.”

“The goal had been for me to become their Alpha,” Theo interjected, “I wanted all of them the way they were, harbingers of chaos, but I didn’t need Scott. So I baited his own beta against him.”

Theo didn’t need to incriminate himself further, but he did, just so he could shift the blame from Liam. Liam waited to catch his breath before continuing.

“After defeating the _La Bête_ , Kira took her sword and summoned Tara, Theo’s sister, from the dead, and had her drag him to whatever hell that was under us. The next time I saw Theo, I had asked Kira’s sword from Mrs. Yukimura to summon him back to help us with the Wild Hunt. And he’d been with us since. Like I told you and Lydia earlier, Theo helped us out a lot in the fight against the Wild Hunt and the Hunter War.”

Stiles ran his fingers across the backrest of one of the chairs. Liam eyed him warily, looking at the pocket where Stiles stashed the crystal that paralyzed Theo. He looked more pensive than calculating, and though it wasn’t a sign they were out of hot water yet, it was significantly better than the cold look they received earlier.

“Who did Theo make the other me kill?”

“A chimera named Donovan,” Liam answered, “and Theo didn’t make you kill him. Before Donovan woke up as a chimera, he had a bad run-in with the Sheriff. Donovan went after you in order to get even with the Sheriff, and in trying to escape from him and stop him from hurting your dad, you accidentally killed him when he chased you. Scott avoided you because Theo convinced him that you – our Stiles, killed Donovan in cold murder.”

“And because Scott disliked killing in general, it didn’t matter if it was murder or self-defense. The other me killed someone and that was that,” Stiles let out a small sigh.

Stiles suddenly turned his head towards Liam and stared him straight in the eye. It was a significant look, neither cold nor warmth in them, but rather a piercing quality that quietly demanded the truth.

It was the kind of look that was assessing as well, like Stiles was looking at something inside Liam that he could trust, and in doing so, getting both the truth and mutual trust from Liam and Theo and the rest of the pack.

“Do you trust him, this guy who’d once tried to tear your pack apart? This guy, who once planted the idea of murder in your head as a logical solution to solve your problems?”

“I do,” and it surprised Liam, how quickly and sincerely he meant it. He didn’t even think about it. “He saved me. Lots of times.”

“You saved me,” Theo added, voice soft. Liam looked at him and couldn’t help but feel his heart twinge just a little, at how Theo regarded him like he was special in that moment.

Theo tried turning his head, and as much as he could, he craned his head towards Stiles’s direction. He had a hard look in his eyes, like he was ready to fight even as he was paralyzed.

“If you’re going to assign someone as the bad guy, then I’m here. Liam has nothing to do with this. He’s truly your pack. So take me if you want Stiles, but just give Liam a chance here.”

Stiles chuckled, “You don’t have to beg, Theo. I already said I’m not here to harm you. I’m just here to make sure you’re not hiding anything that will harm the pack. And I already see that you don’t.” Stiles dug out the crystal in his pocket and tossed it to Liam.

Liam caught it in midair and looked at it. The crystal wasn’t actually made of crystal – it was plastic and had a black plastic base that had a switch at the underside. Liam flicked the switch and the plastic crystal glowed blue.

“You paralyzed me with a plastic toy crystal?” Theo asked incredulously.

“No, I just laced your coffee with my mixture of slow-acting kanima venom. The thing with the crystal is just a distraction – makes me look like I have control. Pretty neat trick, right? Don’t worry, you’ll be able to move in a few minutes. You’re a chimera, so you’d probably be able to move any second now. It’s been in effect for a while now right?”

Liam didn’t know whether to feel relieved that this Stiles didn’t actually have a magic crystal that utilized undetectable magic, or terrified that this Stiles didn’t hold any remorse in drugging their drinks just so he could question them without escaping.

“How come you didn’t tell me earlier?” Liam asked Theo.

“I thought I was just tired. But when you stood up for Lydia and I couldn’t do the same, that’s when I knew I was in trouble.”

Liam could hear Theo’s heartbeat skip a quick pace at the first sentence, and found it strange how he could lie about the first sentence and be truthful about the second part.

“Subtle poisoning – gotta love that Argent hunting guide book. Remind me to ask Allison for a personal copy of it.”

It was official: Liam was convinced this Stiles was just as _insane_ as the one in his universe was, if not more.

When Theo was able to move his fingers, Stiles took it as his cue to leave. “I should go. I know Lydia’s gonna give me shit for making her sit in the car all this time.”

Liam could hear Lydia outside, whispering something on the phone, though her voice was too soft inside Stiles’s jeep for him to make out any words. She sounded pissed though, so Liam knew Stiles was going to get an earful when the two leave.

Before he left the dining room though, he stopped by the entry way and didn’t say anything. Liam and The became too aware of Stiles still lingering, and this time, they could smell the hesitation and a hint of sadness from him. They couldn’t see his face since his back was turned against them, but Liam could almost imagine Stiles’s pensive face, the little scrunch of his eyebrows as he gaped his mouth open to ask a question.

Liam could tell that Stiles was steeling himself to ask another question, and he had a good guess what it was about.

Or rather, who it was about.

“She’s dead in your universe, isn’t she?”

Liam didn’t need to Stiles to mention a name to figure out who he was talking about.

“Yeah.”

“You said I was possessed by a Nogitsune in your universe, and that it came to a point everybody came close to death. And I know there’s no reason to think of it from a version of myself _from another universe for crying out loud_ , or why I should even entertain the thought, but tell me...”

Stiles turned around and faced them.

“Was it me?”

“No,” Theo’s answer came after a reverent pause, “but you – our Stiles, blames himself for it anyway.”

“What do you mean,” Liam began, “by there’s no reason to think of it from a version of yourself from another universe?” Stiles gave him a sad smile.

“I’m sure you know you’re not the only ones who glossed over a lot of parts in telling their stories. And your Stiles isn’t the only Stiles who’s a little messed up in the head.” The emissary tilted his head towards the front door. “Why don’t you give Theo some time to get himself together. Walk me to the door, Liam?”

Liam shot a concerned look at Theo, who nodded at him, giving him the okay. Liam drew his hand back to his side from where it had resided on Theo’s shoulder, and followed Stiles.

As they reached the door and went outside, Stiles once again paused to face Liam.

“I’m sorry about all this. Scott and Lydia were against it, but I wanted to make sure you weren’t a threat with my own eyes. Sorry if I scared you with my craziness.”

“When I became a werewolf and the pack took me to the Martin’s lakehouse on my first full moon, our Stiles took out heavy duty chains out of a gym bag and suggested I be chained up with Malia to prevent me from running wild.” Liam quipped and Stiles laughed. “You had us scared a moment back there, but trust me, we’re used to you being sort of crazy.”

The truth was, Liam was angry at the stunt this Stiles pulled. The mere thought of any serious harm coming to him or Theo in this universe was terrifying, especially since they were in a world where their original pack wasn’t there for them. It was even more terrifying since it came from a version of someone they know and trust. But the thing was, Liam could also understand Stiles distrust. Given that he was the pack emissary and trained in defense and weapons handling, forceful interrogation was a logical option to consider for someone like this Stiles.

Still, it didn’t make the entire situation any less unpleasant.

“You’re mad,” Stiles noted. Liam couldn’t help the frustrated exhale he let out.

“That was a jerk move. You didn’t have to resort to spiking Theo’s drink with something like kanima venom to get us to talk. We would’ve answered your questions anyway if you asked us nicely.”

“If I did, I wouldn’t get the same raw and honest response I got from you. You already lied by omitting the details the first time in a free conversation. And you got something wrong there,” Stiles quipped, “because either one of you could have drunk the spiked mug of coffee. Theo got it by random. It could’ve been you really, and him answering my questions instead. It didn’t matter which one, because while I doubted your claim to be part of our pack in some distant alternate universe, the moment I saw you last night, I knew that if one of you was in danger, the other is sure to come to rescue.”

Liam was prepared to lash out at Stiles by that point, but that last part of the conversation distracted him enough for Stiles to continue after a brief pause.

“You two are pack to each other. That fact, at least, I could trust.”

“So you exploited that fact to your advantage,” Liam recovered, trying to keep the edge out of his voice.

“And tell me, has your Stiles never done the same thing? Exploit something or someone to his advantage?”

Given Stiles’s character, in his or this universe, Liam had his answer already without saying. This Stiles just had more freedom to act than the one he knew. Liam’s non-answer prompted a light laugh from Stiles, and Liam glared at him.

“You’re an asshole.”

“And yet, we’re also pack. It’s a wonder isn’t it?”

“You didn’t even consider us pack five minutes ago!”

“But now I do! Isn’t that what matters?”

Sociopath, thy name is Stiles Stilinski.

Liam growled and Stiles moved away in reflex. Liam looked towards the street to find Stiles’s jeep, thinking to rough up the poor vehicle a bit in petty revenge – maybe leave a big fist size dent on the side door – but was surprised find the familiar blue jeep nowhere in sight. All he saw was a shiny blue Porsche that Lydia was sitting inside...

A memory of his Stiles and Jackson bickering came to surface, and he let himself be amused in distraction from anger.

“You drive a Porsche?”

Stiles’s emotions quickly flitted from amused to annoyed and exasperated.

“I know. It’s a ridiculous car.”

“It’s _your_ ridiculous car.”

“I got it as a gag gift.”

“Who the hell gets someone a Porsche as a _gag gift_?”

“Someone crazy and rich, that’s who.”

Liam waited a few beats of silence; he knew Stiles would continue without prompting.

“Laura thought it would be funny to get me the one car I absolutely _hate_ seeing, and she and Jackson give me so much shit about my old jeep that even my own _dad_ is convinced that me driving the Porsche is a safer option. Which is a farce! Because my jeep has survived many crashes and werewolf shenanigans without breaking! A Porsche is just a very expensive and very breakable car! I hate it, I’m telling you, I hate this hunk of expensive tin can on wheels!”

“And yet here you are driving it.”

“It’s because of the Hale meeting earlier. Laura would give me shit for not _using her gift_ and I’d rather just drive the damn thing than listen to Laura Hale’s long tirades on the importance of maintaining a nice image through the kind of vehicle you drove. Also, it makes Talia happy when we use the things her family gives us.”

“Together with the outfit, you look like the perfect example of a rich person’s pet project. Did Jackson do your shopping for you?” Liam teased.

Stiles sighed. “Him and that banshee in that horrendous Porsche, yes.”

Liam chuckled, not trusting himself to openly laugh around Stiles after his stunt, and watched as the emissary fixed his clothes a bit and take a step towards the parked vehicle.

“I’m really sorry for causing so much of a scene this morning. See you later after lunch at Scott’s?”

Liam didn’t answer right away. Stiles turned around and Liam could tell he felt a little worried, like he was thinking maybe he took it too far with his interrogation methods.

Stiles may be an asshole, but he cares, and Liam is reminded that it is exactly because of Stiles’s pessimistic nature that gives them at least a Plan B when things go wrong. And Liam gets it too, how someone so broken like Stiles would wear an armor of indifference and cynicism to hide the heart that felt too much for too many people from getting hurt.

He knows it all too well. After all, he’s learning that Theo was the same.

Liam gave Stiles a small smile. “Yeah. See you later.”

Stiles narrowed his eyes at the beta. “...You were messing with me weren’t you?”

“Considering what happened back there? I think it’s only fair,” Liam replied.

“You’re not so bad Liam,” Stiles smiled, a genuinely open and happy one this time, before pivoting on his heel and tossing a wave over his shoulder. Liam watched as Stiles got into the car, and laughed as he heard Lydia smack Stiles upside the head, earning an undignified squawk from the emissary as Lydia berated him for pulling some dangerous stunt like what he did. He watched the car drive away, with Lydia silent as Stiles excessively explained the validity of his actions, and when the car turned the corner, Liam walked back inside.

~

When he walked back in the dining area, Theo was nowhere in sight. Liam felt Theo’s steady heartbeat still around though, and followed it to the kitchen.

Theo was standing by the kitchen sink, holding the blue mug that he drank coffee from. He stared at it distractedly, running his fingers at the mug’s mouth. Liam couldn’t help but watch Theo’s finger run through the mug’s rim. He felt his throat go a little dry.

“You okay now?” Liam asked.

“Yeah,” Theo replied. He placed the mug back on the drying rack in front of him, one of the many things that the Geyers and Mrs. Dunbar left in the house when they skipped town.

Liam knew Theo was still thinking about what just happened.

“Is it strange that I found Stiles’s behavior more comforting than terrifying?”

Liam stared at Theo’s profile as the chimera looked outside. His face looked soft even in the late morning light giving way to noon, and his face was pulled into a thoughtful expression.

“I mean I was terrified, yeah, but I couldn’t help but think that he really is Stiles. Our Stiles would’ve approved of something like that.”

“Yeah,” Liam didn’t what to say to that. He didn’t like it when Theo was being difficult, but he hated it even more when Theo became like this. The monster side of Theo, he knew how to handle.

But this vulnerable, more human side of him? Liam hated not knowing how to make it better.

“Stiles was right about his interrogation’s reasoning,” Theo continued, voice still soft, “if he hadn’t made us feel cornered to tell the truth, we would have just lied or avoided the conversation. A direct confrontation was inevitable from the start.”

“And you didn’t mind that you got drugged in the process?” Liam voiced.

“Considering the truth about me, I think it was appropriate,” Theo quickly hid his self-deprecating smile with a smirk in Liam’s direction, “it was well deserved anyway, wasn’t it?”

“You don’t have go out of your way to look for methods to punish yourself for lingering guilt. Your nightmares are enough I think.”

Theo glared at Liam.

“Don’t.”

Liam raised his hands in surrender, pulling a weak smile to say sorry. Theo went back to staring out the kitchen window, and there was silence between them again. Liam walked from the entry way and approached the drying rack. He grabbed a dishcloth from a drawer and proceeded to dry the dishes and mugs, putting them away in the dish rack.

Theo stood beside him, silent and unmoving.

“Stiles was wrong about one thing though,” Theo spoke softly, “I didn’t get that mug by random. I took it on purpose.”

“What do you mean?” Liam asked equally soft, his hands slowing in drying the red mug he was holding.

“When Stiles brought out the pancakes and coffee, I could immediately tell that one of the coffee mugs was different. It wasn’t steaming as much as the other three were, and though the scent was faint, I could tell one of the coffee mugs was drugged. When Lydia and Stiles took the mugs that looked normal, I took the one I knew that was different so you’d have the one that wasn’t.”

Liam put away the red mug carefully, concentrating on not breaking it. He was suddenly annoyed at Theo and his bout of self-sacrifice and apparent need to be punished.

“You didn’t have to do that!” Liam hissed. “I could protect myself!”

“I know,” Theo replied, still in that quiet trance, “I know.”

“Then stop trying to make yourself look cool by blatantly putting yourself in danger! You’re not, you’re not –”

_You’re not the bait._

“I know,” Theo said, hearing the unsaid words anyway.

Liam didn’t want to have any of it though. “What if the coffee was actually poisoned? What if you weren’t just paralyzed? What if it was something worse? What did you think you were going to do?”

“They weren’t going to do that. It’s Stiles and Lydia. They weren’t going to commit homicide when they know we can help them. Besides, it’s just a minor inconvenience,” Theo replied.

“A minor inconvenience? What, you think self-harm is a minor inconvenience now that you think you can put yourself in danger?”

“But I didn’t take that coffee in what you’d think was a move of self-inflicted form of punishment. I didn’t take that coffee because I wanted to be hurt.”

“Then why?” Liam asked, his voice weary.

Theo didn’t answer right away. He continued to look straight ahead, not even turning to look at Liam.

“Because I didn’t want you to be hurt.”

And Liam...Liam didn’t know what to feel about that. There was too much meaning packed into those words, and Liam didn’t want to overthink and confuse himself with what those words actually meant and what those words could mean, or even what he _wanted_ those words to mean.

Of course, he didn’t have time to dwell on it, because whatever pensive trance Theo was in was quickly broken, as the chimera pulled a complete change in expression and smirked at him.

“If it was you, you would have thrown a hissy fit even as a paralytic and we would have gotten in even more trouble with Stiles.”

“Shut up,” came Liam’s automatic reply, “like you could’ve handled that situation any better than I did.”

Theo shrugged and grabbed the last mug on the drying rack and handed it to Liam, who took it from him and dried the mug vigorously.

“Careful, you’re going to break the poor ceramic,” Theo said drily.

Liam grunted as Theo rolled his eyes. Liam heard Theo walk out the kitchen and yell by the staircase.

“I’m gonna take a bath in your parents’ en suite bathroom. Don’t break anything while you’re unattended.”

“I’m not a child!”

Liam could hear Theo chucking to himself as he bounded up the stairs to take a bath in Liam’s parents’ master’s bathroom. Liam gently placed the last mug, a white mug with a small chip in the rim near the handle, and looked out the window.

He tried seeing what Theo saw out the window, but all Liam could see was a child’s swing set in the backyard, something his house didn’t have on their side of the universe. He heard the squeak of the shower handle turning and the sound of the shower running, and Liam stood there in the kitchen, still trying to see what was out there, if there was something, if there was anything, if there was a point.

A few minutes later, Liam heard the shower cut off and heard Theo walking around his parents’ room, no doubt raiding Mr. Geyer’s wardrobe.

Liam walked out the kitchen and went up the stairs. He could hear Theo continue rummaging in his parents’ room, and he proceeded to his own room, preparing to take a shower of his own. He went through his own clothes in his wardrobe and laid them out on his bed. He found a shirt, a denim jacket, and a pair of jeans. He even managed to locate a pair of new shoes,  a pair he himself didn’t have in their universe.

He roamed his eyes across his room again, now bright in the day’s light.

His eye caught on the small pot of dried flowers on his desk, lying forlornly beside the history book keeping a goodbye letter hidden.

“I feel the same way too, you know,” Liam found himself whispering to no one, “I don’t want you to be hurt either.”

And though he said it so quietly, with the way the rustling from his parents’ room paused, Liam knew Theo heard. It was silent for a few seconds before the rustling continued, like nothing happened. That was okay though, Liam didn’t need a reply anyway.

There are simply some things you say without needing an answer.


	5. Part 4: Sunday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Theo and Liam engage in pack bonding. Includes Chinese takeouts, strategy planning, and talking about engagements.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I'm sorry this got uploaded late. I got busy with work and as I wrote this chapter initially and reread it, I realized I wrote the characters a little off, so I had to rewrite more than half the chapter to be satisfied. This chapter is unedited, so if you spot some mistakes, don't be afraid to point it out to me, I'd actually appreciate that. :D
> 
> With that said, CHAPTER 1 is reaching it's climax, and I'm gonna need more time to write it out nicely so that the story's quality and plot doesn't suffer. So my dear readers, please bear with me if I take a long time for the next update. Trust me, I'm not dropping this fic anytime soon. Hahahahaha
> 
> Anyways, here's Part 4. Enjoy!

Scott’s house was bigger than Theo expected.

In fact, it was almost as if Scott’s house expanded and housed more than just two people. Theo could pick up the scent of multiple people from the residence, an indication that the McCall household had frequent visitors.

Theo couldn’t help but be a little nervous. It was past 1 pm already. He had stalled so much back at the Geyer’s house, trying to look as put together as much as he could from Mr. Geyer’s wardrobe. The jeans and shirt fitted nicely enough, but his shoes and jacket were lent to him by Liam. He almost chuckled at the memory of Liam’s grumbling in the living area, exasperated at the length of time Theo spent in getting ready.

The two of them ate pancakes that Stiles had set aside earlier, which thankfully were not laced with anything. Liam scarfed his share rather quickly, while Theo ate as slowly as possible. He was stalling hard, he knew, but he also liked annoying Liam with how slowly he ate, and even took small bites to aggravate the beta, until Liam took a pancake and threw it in his face.

Teasing aside, Theo thought he hid his nerves well.

“There’s no reason to be nervous, you know,” Liam said beside him.

Theo wanted to smack himself. Was he that obvious? Or has Liam gotten really well at reading him these days? He’s noticed that recently, how sometimes the two of them wouldn’t need words to communicate. Theo supposed it was because they spent so much time around each other that they had grown accustomed to each other’s small habits and mannerisms, and it is both a joy and a misery that he could read Liam as easily as Liam could read him.

He never even counted on being Liam’s friend, to be honest. Granted, he stuck close to Liam during the Wild Hunt and the Hunter War incidents because it was the safest choice possible, but a part of him knew that if he was going to die, he didn’t want to kick it alone. Liam was the most logical choice, as the boy was tolerant of his presence.

Liam was nice, and he was fun to be with, and if Theo was really going to be honest, he’d even go so far as to admit to himself that he _likes_ being around him. Theo could be his most honest around Liam, and it’s done so many questionable things around the beta that would compromise his whole tough guy act.

It was awful, really, if Theo was going to continue his bad boy street cred.

Theo raised an eyebrow at Liam.

“You’re right Liam. There is no reason to be nervous. There’s absolutely no reason why we need to loiter around the McCall residence like a bunch of stalkers because we might get the wrong house despite said house being obviously the right address.”

Liam scowled at him.

“It’s a lot bigger than the house in our universe!”

“It doesn’t make it any less of Scott McCall’s place.”

“Hey. The two of you better get in here already,” Theo heard a level voice from inside the house say, loud enough for their enhanced hearing to pick up from outside, “everyone knows you’re here.” Theo placed the voice as Isaac’s, and he heard Liam groan beside him.

Theo strode up to the gate and held the gate open, holding up his arms before him as if presenting the entrance. “Your highness,” Theo said sarcastically.

Liam huffed before he strode past Theo and the gate. “Close the gate on your way in, peasant.”

Theo couldn’t contain the chuckle that came out, and weirdly enough, he likes the small smile on Liam’s face when he laughed at the beta’s joke.

As they found themselves on the porch, the front door swung open to reveal Erica Reyes in all her leader-clad, miniskirt-toting, cleavage-showing glory, a big smile painted on her face. The blonde immediately cooed in Liam’s direction, her smile slipping into a pout at the beta’s surprised face.

“Aww, did I surprise you kid? That won’t do, you better be on your toes with our pack,” Erica cooed.

“I’m not a kid; I’m the same age as you guys. And I have a name,” Liam grumbled.

“Well aren’t you cute. What’s your name kid?” Erica teased.

Before Liam could growl a reply, Theo spoke for them. “His name’s Liam. And I’m his babysitter, Theo.”

Liam scowled hard at Theo and Erica threw her head back and laughed. Theo thinks he could maybe like Erica, with her teasing and fierce personality. Theo felt like Erica was the kind of person he would be friends with if he had grown up normally, and the thought makes his heart ache just a bit.

Erica sauntered away from the door and beckoned the two boys inside. “Well, come on in. Everyone’s in the living room expecting you.” The blonde flitted past the hallway and into the living room, not waiting for them to enter.

Theo and Liam entered the house and closed the front door, and a feeling of protection washed over them.

 _A bounded field,_ Theo immediately realized, _the house is protected by a bounded field._

“Is it just me, or does it really feel like it’s instantly safer inside?” Liam asked.

“The house is warded against any external danger, the normal kind and supernatural kind, and it’s charmed to be a safespace for supernaturals in danger.”

Allison Argent sauntered out from what Theo remembers is the general area of the kitchen, carrying a bowl of curly fries in one hand, and a plate of donuts in the other. She looked at them with a warmth Theo didn’t understand at all, as he had initially thought she’d be the type to doubt them like Stiles did, being a hunter and all.

“This is nice,” Liam comments quietly, “who did it?”

“Stiles did, but the wards are only as strong as they are because Lydia did the research and translation for it,” Allison replied. “Have you guys had lunch?”

“We ate leftover pancakes from this morning,” Theo replied quickly. Allison tilted her head a bit to the side as if she was thinking, and nodded to herself.

“Right. Well, if you’re still hungry, there’s Chinese takeout by the dining table, so help yourselves. We bought a mountain of food for lunch.”

Liam immediately zeroed in on the indication of food, and stranded Theo in the hallway with the huntress. Theo sighed before he shrugged. “Thanks. We’ll take you up on the offer then.”

Allison smiled. “There’s a plate of dumplings on the counter. Help carry them to the living room? Isaac wants them.”

Theo slowly walked over to the direction of the dining area, where he saw Liam hunched over the dining table, stuffing his mouth silly with _chao fan_. He was apparently already on his second box, as Theo could see one discarded box beside the boy. On the floor beside the table was a big black bag already more than a half full, which Theo suspected were takeout cartons of various foods that the McCall pack consumed for lunch.

“Don’t choke yourself on the Chinese, Liam. God, you already ate before we got here.”

“That was like five pieces of pancakes!”

Theo found the plate of dumplings on the other side of the table and took them, making his way to the living room. Liam followed him, both hands occupied with Chinese takeout boxes.

As the two of them entered the living room, Theo couldn’t help but stare at how big the McCall pack is. On one side of the room were Danny and Lydia doing what Theo assumed was school work, occupying a couch set, with Jackson taking a nap on Lydia’s lap. Beside Danny was Ethan, who was busy on his phone.

Aiden was playing a video game loudly with Boyd on the TV set, and Malia and Kira were beside them, making general ruckus on who hits who, go that way, no that way, god you suck – commentary thrown back and forth. Isaac sat a little by the window on a single-seater couch, hunched over a sketchbook in concentration.

Stiles was perched on a bigger couch by another window behind Isaac, a highlighter in his mouth and a pen in his hand, his eyes wandering over the document in his other hand. Erica sat beside Stiles, her chin on his shoulder and a pensive look on her face she read the document as well. Derek sat by Stiles’s feet, his cheek resting on the boy’s knees, seemingly asleep. On the side table beside them sat a bowl of curly fries, momentarily forgotten.

Scott and Allison were seated by the couch near the middle of the room, all smiles as Allison held a paper with a lot of red marks in front of Scott. Despite the bad results on his test, Scott seemed happy enough to have it if it meant getting tutoring lessons from Allison.

Isaac looked up from where he was and waved over to them.

“I’d have some of those dumplings, thanks.”

Theo, not knowing what else to do, obediently brought the plate over to the blonde boy. Isaac took the plate graciously, and flicked his hand in the unoccupied couch opposite him, motioning for Theo and Liam to sit.

Isaac placed the plate of dumplings on a small side table between him and Theo and Liam, and gestured for them to have some. Theo took one with hesitation, and Liam then plopped one of the Chinese takeout boxes in Theo’s unoccupied hand. He glances at Liam, who only shrugs.

“You should eat.”

Isaac returned to his original position and his hand moved across the huge sketchbook, sketching a picture Theo had grown curious about.

“So,” Theo began, munching on his dumpling, “this is the pack meeting.”

“Yes. We’re pack, and we’re meeting at a single place. We don’t all get together only when there’s a crisis if that’s what you’re wondering about. This is a regular thing. Sundays are reserved for pack bonding here at Scott’s place,” Isaac supplied.

“Scott – my Scott – used to help me practice with lacrosse when I asked him. He always had time for me, even if he seemed like he was busy,” Liam said. Theo could remember that, seeing Liam and Scott on the field having fun. He remembers because he wished he had something like that.

“The same as us then,” Isaac’s hand paused on his sketchpad, and looked up at Liam with a small smile, “Scott often practiced lacrosse with me, Stiles, Boyd, Jackson, Ethan, Aiden, and Kira when we asked. He always makes time.”

“When Scott graduated, he became assistant coach for the team. It was great,” Liam beamed.

“Except for the part that you were a mess, where you whined about Hayden leaving Beacon Hills, and you were in a slump since the responsibility of protecting Beacon Hills fell on your shoulders once Scott left for college,” Theo drawled.

Liam didn’t rise to the bait like Theo expected though. “Of course I was. It was only the four of us. Scott and Malia were literally in another continent, and Stiles and Lydia were on the other side of the country. What if something bad happened?”

“Already did,” Theo replied drily, “or have you forgotten where we are really?”

Liam let out an irritated sigh. “I haven’t forgotten. I just meant if something bad like the hunters or the Wild Hunt happened again.”

“I’m sure we could handle it,” Theo replied, “and even if the four of us fall short, we still have Deaton, Derek, and Peter.”

“I think you’re forgetting it was Peter’s call that landed us here in the first place.”

“I think you’re forgetting it was _your_ idea to go into the woods at night that landed us here in the first place.”

“Well you seemed pretty okay with the idea at the moment!”

“I was operating under the idea that we would find a dead body, not get transported to an alternate universe,” Theo replied drily.

Theo heard Isaac chuckle softly in front of them, feeling amused.

“All of us are operating under the idea of surviving life without major catastrophes, but life obviously has other plans,” the blonde drawled. “Still, it all works out in the end rather well, don’t you think?”

Theo glanced briefly at Liam, who was on his third box of _chao fan_. How Liam could go from condemning him to hell to being his closest human contact in the last few months is something Theo would never completely begin to understand, but what he can understand was that they were in this together now.

So he came back to Beacon Hills to steal Scott’s pack from him, failed, got sent to hell, and was summoned back to act as bait – it was messy and utter madness, and he was barely sane throughout the whole Dread Doctors debacle, but just like Isaac said, it all worked out in the end.

And rather well at that.

Before Theo could think better of it, Liam was his friend now – there was no use denying himself that realization.

The brief memory of waking up a few hours ago in the same bed as Liam with his arms around the beta suddenly hits him out of nowhere, and Theo had to shake his head a bit to clear his thoughts. It wasn’t the time for intrusive thoughts and confusion – he was in different _universe for crying out loud_ ; there isn’t time for self-probing and reflection. 

If there was one thing he hasn’t worked out yet, it’s his strange minimal-personal-barriers friendship with Liam. From the moment Liam summoned him back with Kira’s sword, that was the point everything began changing for him.

Without the Doctors influencing him and without his desire to steal a pack for his own, Theo was hit day after day with the realization that he didn’t really have anything to go back to in Beacon Hills. He was summoned by Liam simply as additional help – bait – and was a strong but ultimately an expendable factor in equation. When he came to that conclusion, Theo found that it didn’t feel too hard to throw himself at danger.

It didn’t matter if he did it for Liam or himself anyway – he just wanted to live life on his own terms, without anyone’s agenda shadowing what he wanted to do.

In the end though, he became good friends with Liam, sharing rooms and bumping into town, eating together and playing lacrosse in secret. It wasn’t what he wanted or expected, but Theo is finding out it might have all been exactly what he needed after all to gain back some sense of humanity.

“Quite a long way to get to that point, but yeah, it does work out,” Theo mumbled, starting slowly on his own _chao fan._

“So what do you guys normally do together, other than lunch?” Liam asked.

“It depends really. During exam week, Stiles, Lydia, and Danny would conduct group study to help us pass exams. During lacrosse season, we’d meet up at the field and the guys who played practiced together, while the rest got food or brought homework. When in times of trouble, we usually do planning sessions after eating,” Isaac explained.

“Planning for what?” Liam intoned.

“Our next plan of action,” Erica supplied the answer, pushing over Isaac to the side of his couch and dropping her head on her hand resting on the armrest. “Deucalion is a powerful alpha – a demon wolf, and a rare kind of alpha wolf – and we have to deal with his pack along with the Darach. The intelligence team is working on it as we speak.”

“The intelligence team?” Theo could guess who it might be, but he was curious to know their answer.

“Allison, Stiles, Lydia, and Danny come up with the plans. Scott and Derek delegate who does what,” Isaac answered.

“And the rest of us do as we’re told. Well, _mostly_ as we’re told,” Erica grinned, a mischievous look in her eyes.

“Alright!” Lydia exclaimed from the other side of the room, “Let’s get started.”

The lazy mood of the room shifted all too suddenly, and everyone is immediately alert at Lydia’s assertive tone.

Jackson bolted upright in sitting position, cracking his neck from sleep, as if he had expected Lydia to stand up at that exact moment. Derek stood up and strode over to Scott, as Allison went over to sit beside Stiles. Ethan took out a laptop from the book bag beside him and handed it to Danny. Aiden, Boyd, Kira, and Malia glanced over at Lydia, and after receiving a perfunctory nod to turn off the game, went over to where Scott was as well.

Erica and Isaac stayed seated where they were, and Theo watched as Lydia took the center of the room, clearly in her element in getting everyone’s attention. He and Liam stayed where they were as well, feeling more of an audience than actual pack members.

“I did some digging with the tomes I translated from Deaton’s books, and I’ve found out the pattern that the Darach is sacrificing people,” Lydia began, “we know that she’s sacrificing five groups of people, three in each category, but we didn’t know what categories they were until Stiles stumbled upon it last night.”

“The Darach is sacrificing virgins, protectors, warriors, philosophers, and guardians,” Stiles disclosed, “it’s the pattern of the five-fold Celtic knot.”

“It’s on the eleventh sacrifice already, with less than a week to get four more sacrifices,” Lydia continued, “and knowing that the Darach is on the last person on the fourth group, she wouldn’t waste much time looking for the twelfth person, much less the last group of three.”

“So she’s probably prowling Beacon Hills looking for the twelfth sacrifice, and she’s going to kill someone soon,” Scott gathered, “we know that, but how does that help us?”

“I did a background check on all the victims,” Danny spoke from where he was busy with his laptop, “Me and Stiles cross-referenced it with the reports at the Sheriff’s station and found out which pattern she’s on.”

“Her first victims were virgins. According to the translated notes Lydia handed over to me a few hours ago, this grants her beauty, or a form of power to take on a beautiful face to hide her real appearance,” Stiles informed the group, “the next was philosophers, taking out three of the teachers in Beacon Hills that caused that teaching vacancy for new teachers to come to Beacon Hills. It’s the perfect cover to hide under the radar, using other new people in town for the vacancy.”

“Then she sacrificed warriors, which grants her incredible strength and a boost in magic power,” Lydia finished, “with three sacrificial groups down the line, not only is she strong, but she has successfully hidden herself in well in Beacon Hills.”

“The information that helps us is the identity of the tenth and eleventh victims, who are on the fourth group of sacrifices. The tenth victim is Lewis Hersch, an accountant. The interesting bit is that he was a certified lifeguard at the Beacon County swimming park,” Danny supplied.

“Wait, wasn’t he that guy with the purity ring?” Ethan asked, “the one we met a few weeks ago at the pool?”

“Yeah. He wasn’t wearing it when he was killed though,” Danny replied. Aiden laughed as Ethan frowned.

“Of course he wouldn’t be wearing it, you’d know wouldn’t you Danny?” Aiden asked.

Lydia rolled her eyes. “This is so not the time, Aiden.”

The joking twin raised his hand in surrender, a smirk on his face. Danny looked a little embarrassed, offering an apologetic look in Ethan’s direction, while Ethan just felt unpleasant in general. Judging from the small exchange, Theo could surmise that Danny and Ethan were involved with each other in this universe.

Stiles held up one of the papers he had been highlighting earlier, which was actually a police report. Theo reckoned he stole it from the Sheriff’s station, and he is reminded of Stiles’s blatant and casual disregard for the law.

“Last night’s victim is Coraline Myers. She was a kindergarten teacher, but was formerly part of the Sheriff’s department as one of the officers concerned with the preserve. Essentially, she was the one in charge of making sure no illegal activities are done in the forest.”

“So what does that tell us? That the people who were killed had boring day jobs and had a kickass night job?” Malia asked.

“No,” Kira’s eyes widened in realization, “Lewis was a lifeguard, his job was to make the pool safe, while Coraline kept the forest free of crime by patrolling it. They’re protectors.”

“Which considerably narrows down our pool of possible sacrifices,” Allison spoke, “and that at least puts us in the right direction.”

“Right, except for one problem,” Danny interjected, his brows furrowed as he tapped on his laptop, “even as we go with that pattern, we have a hit on at least fifty people in Beacon Hills who would fit that category. That includes lifeguards, police officers, bodyguards, defense attorneys, activists, and other people fighting for causes in and out of their day jobs that could be considered as ‘protecting’.”

Malia stood up from where she sat and dusted off her shorts. “Right. So we find these people, stick them in one place, and make sure the Darach doesn’t get to them.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s considered mass kidnapping,” Scott replied.

“Or we could keep watch over them. Keep surveillance of them, know where they are at all times,” Derek suggested.

“I’m pretty sure that’s considered mass _stalking_ ,” Stiles quipped.

“I’m pretty sure both ideas are _impossible_ ,” Lydia said exasperatedly.

Out of the corner of his eye, Theo could see Isaac munch on dumplings, sharing them with Erica. The two blondes made eye contact with Boyd from across the room, and the bald guy cleared his throat to speak.

“If we can neither gather address the problem with possible victims, then maybe it’s the Darach we should engage with.”

“We can’t,” Scott shook his head, “the matters with the Darach and Deucalion are the responsibility of the governing pack.” Derek sighed beside his Alpha.

“And besides, Deucalion’s pack was directly attacked by the Darach, so his pack has prior claim to going after the Darach. Even the Council’s having trouble going around that without breaking pack laws,” the older male added.

“So what, we’re just on cleanup duty? Can’t you do anything else?” Liam blurted out. Theo glared at the beta and kicked him in the shin. “Are you trying to provoke them?” Theo hissed.

Scott only gave them a wry smile. “Yeah, pretty much. I’m sorry it’s not as exciting as it is on your end.”

“No!” Liam protested, “I didn’t say that to offend anyone! And I’m not saying it’s not exciting, I like it this way even! Way less danger. It’s just, yeah, I get it, we heard about that pack law last night at the Council meeting. I was just thinking what if...what if we couldn’t help getting involved?”

Scott frowned, looking confused. “What do you mean?”

Theo knew exactly what Liam meant. “Pack laws dictate that the pack directly attacked, assaulted, or offended by an assailant has claim to the assailant as prey. Deucalion has prior claim because his pack was attacked.”

“Yeah, we get that,” Malia snapped.

“Oh my god, that is either the most stupid or the most brilliant idea ever,” Stiles stood up suddenly from where he sat.

“I’m going to say it: it’s stupid,” Lydia said.

“And we’re out of options,” Allison replied, “this is the only way that allows us the most mobility and provides us with more options.”

“Wait, I don’t get it, what are we talking about?” Scott asked.

“Deucalion has claim because his pack was attacked. So what happens if the Darach attacks _our_ pack?” Isaac smiled, asking the pack in general. Theo could see the imaginary light bulb flicker brightly on Scott’s head as the rest of the pack realized what Liam was implying.

“It’d be fair game,” a smile crept up on Scott’s face, “we’d have a legitimate claim to hunt the Darach.”

“It’ll be dangerous,” Derek warned them, but Theo could tell it was said half-heartedly. The ones that did look worried were the pair seated back on the couch. For a moment, Theo could catch the scent of madness wafting from Stiles, but quickly disappeared as Allison grabbed Stiles’s wrist and traced circles on the surface of his hand.

“As long as nobody gets killed,” Stiles mumbled quietly.

“We have to play our cards right,” Lydia took control of the conversation again before looking over at her Alpha. “Scott, what do you think?”

Scott looked around the room to look everyone in the eyes. His red eyes rested on Liam’s before it ended looking at Theo’s, and the chimera found himself nodding, acquiescing to the reckless plan Liam inspired.

“I say we fight.”

~

Liam heard the familiar chiming sounds coming from the TV, telling him that Erica, Malia, and Kira were now playing Mario Kart. He had been playing games on his phone for the last hour, which he didn’t mind, since he didn’t really know how to interact with the others.

After Scott approved of the plan to engage the Darach, the “intelligence team” as Isaac had put it had exited the living room to occupy the dining table for discussion. Surprisingly, Stiles asked Theo to join them, and helpless to refuse, Theo followed them out to plan in the dining room.

Liam had stayed in the same couch he sat on, surrounded by empty takeout cartons and lying on the couch. In front of him, Isaac had continued drawing, and Erica had gone out somewhere with Boyd. The twins were occupying another couch set, playing a game of chess.

“I assumed you’d be a lot noisier.”

Liam looked up from his phone to see Isaac was looking at him, the blonde’s hand hovering over his sketchpad, pencil not touching the surface of the paper. “Earlier you seemed like you had a lot things to say and ask, but now you’re withdrawn.”

“It’s just strange,” Liam said after a beat, “I feel like I should know you, but I don’t. We’re supposed to be pack, even in my universe, but I haven’t even met you.”

“Really?” Isaac set aside his sketchpad and pencil, and leaned back on the couch to address Liam properly. “How is other me then?”

“Fine I guess,” Liam started, “Scott told me that after the incident with the Nogitsune, you went with Chris Argent to France and never came back. I mean, you still talk to Scott, but you never went back to Beacon Hills, even during the Hunter War.”

“What happened that made me move to France?” Isaac tilted his head, clearly curious.

“I don’t know. Scott said what happened after the Nogitsune affected all of them in different ways. He made it sound like you were grieving, and that you moved to France to get away.”

“You never asked what I was grieving about?”

Liam shook his head. “I didn’t think it’d be important. Besides, I thought to myself that if it was important, Scott would’ve told me.”

“Fair point. Lydia and Stiles told us you never met Erica, Boyd, Aiden, Danny, and Allison, too.”

“No. I never met them.”

“What about me?”

Liam turned his head and saw Jackson loom over him. The newcomer shoved Liam’s legs off the couch, forcing the beta to sit properly, and sat down beside him, a smirk on his face. Liam could already tell this Jackson was as much of a jerk as the other one he knows.

“Oh, I met you. Recently even. You got yourself captured by hunters.”

Jackson scowled as Isaac laughed. “Very funny.”

“It’s true. You were with Ethan when you guys were captured. Stiles and Lydia had to come personally rescue you even,” Liam added.

“How the hell did me and Ethan get captured?”

“Apparently, you just got back from London, and you wandered the school halls looking for Scott and got captured by Monroe.”

“Wow, and to think you were considered _stealthy_ in missions, that’s just hitting a new low Jackson,” Isaac drawled.

“You did take out a few hunters though. You used your kanima tail to paralyze them when they got too close,” Liam tried to add helpfully.

“I have a _kanima tail_?” Jackson asked incredulously. “Christ, how do I walk outside with that thing?”

“You don’t have it out all the time, you just retract it.”

“Into his butt,” Isaac added.

“Well, yeah. I guess. Stiles never got a straight answer out of you when he asked,” Liam replied.

“Well golly geez, I wonder why,” Jackson said, voice dripping heavily with sarcasm.

“Can I ask you a question?” Liam turned back to Isaac, shifting the conversation back to him.

“What is it?”

“What were you drawing?”

Isaac’s ears reddened, and Jackson smiled. “It’s probably a house. Isaac draws them a lot.”

“You like drawing houses?” Liam looked at Isaac, genuinely curious. The blonde nodded.

“I like drawing houses. I’m thinking of making a career out of it in the future actually. Be an architect maybe.”

Liam’s heart skipped at the thought of the future. He’s dreamed of it from time to time – college, a place away from home, going to mad parties, and meeting new people – but he hasn’t really put actual thought into it. All he knows is that he wants to be in a big city like New York and just be a regular person for once – not a werewolf, not the guy with the IED – but just regular Liam Dunbar. He’d be the kind of person he’d always wanted to be.

Normal.

And it makes Liam a little sad to know that he has only a semblance of what he wants, but nothing much of what he desires to actually have a plan.

“That’s nice. I can’t draw to save my life. The only thing I’m good at is lacrosse,” _and history_ , Liam added silently in his head.

“I’m thinking of taking after my dad. He’s a chef,” Jackson shared.

“You’re dad’s a chef here? The Jackson I know had a lawyer for his stepdad,” Liam mulled out loud.

“Stepdad?” Jackson turned to Liam curiously.

“Adoptive father actually, but you told us you preferred it if we just called them your step parents.”

“I’m adopted?” Jackson and Isaac were in various degrees of surprise at the information, and Liam suddenly realized that this was another variation in this universe that his didn’t have.

“Yeah. Are you not adopted here?”

“No. My real – my biological parents are with me. Dad’s a chef and mom’s a writer for a fashion magazine.”

“Huh,” Liam sighed. It explained why Jackson dressed impeccably well – it would seem the boy inherited his mother’s fashion sense, only highlighted by their money.

“It really is strange,” Isaac said after a beat, “it feels a little like Alice in Wonderland.”

“Am I at least getting laid back in your universe?” Jackson questioned.

“Oh? Lydia didn’t tell you?” Liam smiled in amusement, “you’re engaged in our universe.”

Everyone in the room stopped dead in what they’re doing and looked at Liam. The girls had forgotten the game they were playing, and the twins’ attention was obviously caught. As luck would have it, Erica and Boyd walked in the room, the blonde girl’s lips in a wide smirk.

“Well, well, well, who’s the unlucky maiden that Jackson conned into getting engaged with?” Erica asked, her voice light and teasing. Jackson growled at her, and Erica only laughed, skipping over to where Isaac sat. Boyd leaned on the entry way, his face stoic but clearly amused as well.

“Dude, actually,” Liam replied, “it’s Ethan.”

There was a beat of silence before everybody exploded with their own reactions.

“What.”

“Oh. My. God.”

“No fucking way.”

“Dude, really? Jackson?”

“Huh. I kind of see it.”

“What? No!”

In the background, Erica was cackling and Aiden was on the floor, clearly in stitches. Malia looked like she was thinking of the many jokes she could play on Ethan and Jackson, while Jackson himself was staring at Liam like he grew a second head.

“I guess it is a pretty big deal huh?” Liam mused, “Is Jackson not going steady with anyone here?”

“Jackson isn’t, but Ethan is,” Isaac replied, “he and Danny have been going steady for the last year.”

“Oh, well, congratulations?” Liam turned to Ethan, and offered him a hesitant greeting. Ethan met his greeting with a smile, and kicked his twin brother’s side as Aiden was still laughing.

“Thanks.”

“What about you Liam,” Kira asked suddenly, “do you have someone back in your universe?”

Liam shook his head with self-deprecating smile. “No. I used to have a girlfriend though. She was a chimera named Hayden. We initially didn’t hit it off well, we knew each other as kids and we hated each other. When we met again in high school, I was already a werewolf, and she discovered she was a chimera. Fighting against the Dread Doctors and the Wild Hunt, I thought our relationship would last.”

Liam chuckled at the thought. He remembered how lousy it felt when Hayden told him she and her sister were moving away from Beacon Hills, and that a long distance relationship wasn’t something she wanted. In hindsight, maybe Liam agreed to breaking up because subconsciously, it wasn’t what he wanted either.

“She and her sister moved away from the chaos in Beacon Hills. We both decided to end it. I’ve been a mess since the break up, but then the war with the hunters happened, and I guess I just let it slip my mind and focused on surviving.”

“Ah of course, nothing beats getting over a breakup than having to fight for your life to live another day,” Aiden quipped, “ten out of ten would recommend that method.”

“I’m sorry I asked,” Kira apologized. Liam shook his head and gave Kira a genuine smile.

“It’s fine. The last few months have been better despite Scott and the rest leaving for college.”

“Because you have Theo,” Malia asked, an eyebrow raised.

Liam wasn’t completely oblivious to what the werecoyote was implying, but if Liam said no, then he would be lying, because the last few months _did_ feel better having someone like Theo around. He had someone to talk to without treading caution like he did with Mason, he had someone to roughhouse with, to vent to, to ground him.

Theo made him feel like he was needed, and not in the way that damsels needed muscled men to rescue them. Theo made Liam feel like he was necessary, like he was doing something right amidst the responsibility of protecting Beacon Hills without Scott and surviving high school, and for all the coincidental and intentional run ins they had in town, it was like the universe was putting together the two people in Beacon Hills who didn’t have a pair to complete them.

Not that Liam would consider Theo his significant pair, though they were certainly that, but not in _that way_ , but it did shine some light on what he and Theo’s friendship looked like to everyone else in this universe. They were inseparable, and other than now, Liam couldn’t remember a moment he wasn’t just a few steps away from the chimera.

In the end, Theo did make Liam’s everything better. They just weren’t, you know, together _together._

Liam could hear Stiles and Scott arguing by the dining area, with Allison playing mediator. He wondered if Theo was listening in on what was happening in the living room, or if he was too absorbed in what was happening in the planning session, and hesitated answering.

He was quiet for quite a while it seemed, before Jackson passed a hand over his eyes to grab his attention.

“Liam?”

Liam blinked and stared back at Malia, who looked just every bit of unapologetic of her question and confident in her stance. She had a taller presence than the Malia he knew, and he knew it was because she had training under the Hales.

Malia, who didn’t always know for certain what exactly she was feeling, but didn’t hide from her feelings, and tried to confront them head on. It was something Liam admired in her, since as an IED, he trained himself to suppress emotions to stop anything from triggering him to blow up.

Liam smiled, thinking he could maybe allow himself to be more honest with his emotions.

“Yeah,” he simply replied.

And if Theo heard his answer, he didn’t know or hear – his ears were too busy picking up his own elevated heartbeat – his heart knowing he was telling the truth, but not the whole of it.

~

“I’m just saying it’s not practical. There are literally many other ways we could handle this without using you or anyone as bait.”

“Scott, you literally _cannot_ attract the Darach’s attention without using bait. How do we sniff out the Darach without bait?”

“There has to be another way!”

“Scott, calm down, and Stiles, think this through. There are so many ways with how that plan could go wrong.”

“But it wouldn’t! Allison, you know I could handle this.”

“I’m not saying you can’t. I’m saying we don’t want you to.”

The pack meeting at Scott’s place had ended a few hours ago, with the rest of the pack calling it a day. Derek had promised not to breathe a word of their plan to his family to keep the Council out of it, and he took Isaac, Erica, and Boyd with him back home to their loft. Ethan and Danny decided to go out for the night, while Aiden went with Malia to do actual group studying. Jackson and Kira went to the mall together, no doubt to buy clothes for Kira’s new wardrobe.

Liam and Theo, who had decided to stay with the older pack members a bit longer, decided to stay even as Scott and Stiles argued their points at the dining table. It was past 8 in the evening, and though they have wound down from the serious planning points and debate of who gets to do what, the discussion on what concrete action they should take still hasn’t been closed.

Lydia stood over the stove, cooking dinner for six people, clearly tired out from the argument and was obviously trying to avoid getting sucked back into it. Liam knew it was because Lydia saw the pros and cons of Stiles’s plan, but her input wouldn’t exactly tip the scales in anyone’s favour. Lydia, after all, was too smart to ever completely be agreeable with dangerous plans that might result in someone’s death.

Liam and Theo sat opposite each other on the table, Liam beside Allison and Theo beside Stiles. Scott sat at the head of the table as he continued to argue with his emissary and huntress, and Liam could see Theo was exhausted with the three of them, having been present in the planning session since the afternoon.

The argument had been spiralled from Scott and Stiles not agreeing on a plan: Stiles, as an emissary, fit the bill of protector perfectly, so he proposed that he be a willing sacrifice to draw out the Darach by carelessly walking around town. Scott was against this, saying that if Stiles was attacked while he was unprepared, then that would spell danger or even death for the emissary.

Stiles was adamant that it was the only way to passively invite a confrontation with the Darach without them initiating the first move, and that if they used him, the other civilians would be safe from Darach attacks.

Scott obviously, thinks there could be a better way without using the civilians _or_ Stiles.

“Guys, we get it, you need bait without actually using bait. Just let Stiles do his thing, he obviously fits the protector category and he could defend himself,” Theo said tiredly. Stiles turned to him and beamed, happy to have someone on his side.

“See? Theo understands. Theo trusts me, and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since we’ve known each other!”

“And it’s exactly that blind faith that makes him unaware of how reckless you can be,” Allison reasoned.

It was obvious to Liam that the argument wasn’t going anywhere: Scott was too stubborn to budge from his principles, Stiles was too proud to back down, Allison didn’t want to take sides, and Lydia just flat-out didn’t want to be part of the argument. They were going around in circles, and their plans were at a standstill without a consensus reached between the four of them.

“Theo isn’t saying Stiles is invincible, he’s just saying he could handle it,” Liam defended the chimera. Theo shot him a look that said stay-ou-of-this. Liam ignored him as he turned to look at Scott.

“But you don’t agree with that plan, do you Liam?” Scott asked him. Liam couldn’t lie.

“No. I think it’s too risky.” Theo rolled his eyes at him. Liam knew his siding with Scott didn’t help things along.

“See? That’s what I’ve been telling you! It’s too risky Stiles. Didn’t we promise the Sheriff no more risky plans?”

“It’s not like we plan to tell him!”

“Of course we don’t plan to tell the sheriff that when our plans fail that his son is _dead_.”

“Is that it Scott? You think I’d just take that lying down and let myself get killed?” Stiles chuckled darkly, “Oh Scotty, you really know how to wound me.”

“Enough!” Allison snapped, “This discussion is over. We’re obviously not going to come to an agreement like this.” The huntress ran her hands through her forehead and into her hair, and let out a heavy sigh. “Can we just drop this for now? It’s late. We should eat.”

“When’s Melissa getting home?” Stiles asked Scott, quickly changing the topic.

“She’s pulling another shift at the hospital, said something about a patient in the ICU needing attention,” Scott replied.

“Hey Lyds, is dinner ready? I’m starving,” Stiles called out to Lydia in the kitchen. From where they could see her, Lydia stood ramrod straight over the stove, completely still and unmoving. The sound of the stove’s fire crackling silently was the only noise they could hear from her, and that clued in everyone in the room that something was up.

Something was terribly wrong.

Liam tensed, knowing what would come next. In his periphery, Theo had brought his hands to ears.

“Lydia?” Allison called out to the banshee once more.

“They’re whispering in my ear,” Lydia whispered in reply, “they’re getting louder and louder, it just makes me want to scream.”

Lydia turned stiffly to face them, her face pale and eyes vacant, staring at a distance beyond them.

“Someone’s going to die tonight.”


	6. Part 5: Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> An Alpha, an emissary, a huntress, a banshee, and two werewolves walk into an abandoned bank. Involves magic combat, ambiguous flashbacks, and bed cuddling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have no idea how long this took me to write, rewrite, and go over plot consistency before being satisfied. This chapter essentially sets quite a lot of plot points relevant to the story progression, and well, it was quite a long write. This chapter also introduces the first side pairing this story has, so there's that too.  
> Well, enjoy reading and tell me what you think. :D

“Fucking hell, can’t this Darach bitch chill for one night? She just killed someone _last night_ – I literally cannot even believe this right now.”

Stiles ranted as he gunned his car towards the direction Lydia was pointing him. Liam and Theo were in the Porsche’s backseat, attentively looking ahead of them on the road. Lydia, who was sitting shotgun next to Stiles, looked pale and in pain, her hands against her ears as if someone were screaming at her directly.

Which was probably an accurate experience for the banshee when someone was on the verge of death.

Liam looked out the window and saw Scott and Allison following them on Scott’s bike, keeping up a steady speed beside them as the Porsche drove smoothly into downtown. Lydia had begun pointing directions where to go, and Liam was suddenly struck with how familiar the streets began to look for him.

“The abandoned bank,” he mumbled. Theo gave him a curious glance. Liam cleared his throat and spoke louder. “I think Lydia is pointing us to the abandoned bank in this area.”

“An abandoned bank? Why there?” Stiles asked. Theo, as expected, immediately knew the answer.

“The telluric currents. One of the most powerful and potent magic leylines run underneath it. If the Darach was going to kill someone for a sacrifice tonight, she’d do it at a place of power.”

Stiles swore under his breath, muttering about how it had been so obvious, how he should’ve considered the position of the leylines. Liam wondered if Stiles knew of the leylines and had forgotten about them until that moment.

From where she sat, Lydia winced. “The screams are getting louder.”

“Alright. You heard that Scott? The abandoned bank by east downtown. You and Allison go ahead on your bike, you’ll be faster. We’ll catch up,” Stiles spoke to thin air, knowing Scott would be able to hear him. Liam looked back out and saw Scott’s bike roar with new vigor, and sped up in the direction he knew would be the bank. Stiles himself floored the car, but his inexperience in driving the thing was showing, as he struggled to drive the car like he wanted.

“We’re taking a shortcut. Let’s hope this thing is scratch-proof.”

Stiles took a sharp right into a narrow alley, running over garbage cans and black bags, scattering trash everywhere. Liam instinctively latched onto the handlebar above the car door, his other hand finding itself latched to Theo’ arm, feeling the corded muscle beneath his jacket tense with the unexpected direction Stiles drove the car. Stiles gritted his teeth as he drove the Porsche down the narrow alley, and let out a loud whoop as they found themselves back on the road again.

Soon enough, they found themselves in front of an old building in one of the dilapidated areas of east downtown.  Scott’s bike was parked along the corner of the street, helmets strapped to the handle.

Stiles and Lydia got out of the car swiftly, with Liam and Theo following them.

“It’s quiet,” Liam remarked.

“Too quiet?” Theo quipped.

“Generally, I prefer a silent kind of murder, so I’m thinking our Darach friend here has similar tastes,” Stiles replied.

“I prefer the kind that _isn’t_ murder. You think Allison and Scott found the Darach?” Lydia breathed beside Stiles.

“Only one way to find out.”

Liam and Theo followed the older pair inside the ruined building. Liam had only been to the abandoned bank exactly one time, when Scott took him on a lesson of what substances can affect werewolves. Apart from mountain ash and wolfsbane, the walls of the old bank were made of a special type of stone that amplified the moon’s power when reflected on its surface. It also blocked a wolf’s senses, so enhanced hearing, smell, and strength were rendered null by the stone. The stone was used on the thick walls of the bank vault, which Scott told him was where one of Derek’s betas died in their universe.

Liam wondered who among the ones in this universe’s pack that could’ve been.

The old building was just as he remembered it: huge and expansive, with high ceilings and long staircases, fallen debris scattered on the floor. The clerestory windows provided minimal outside light, casting long rays of light on the dusty barren floor.

From their left, Liam could hear two sets of footsteps running across the corridor, towards what Liam could guess is the direction of the vault.

“They’re up there,” Liam pointed in the direction he heard the sound from, and he and Theo broke into a sprint to go up the stairs and reach the location of the sound.

As they arrived on the top step, Liam was assaulted by a heavy scent of distress and anger that he almost lost his footing. Theo had caught him by the arm and helped him regain balance as Liam covered his nose in confusion.

“What’s that smell?”

“Ancient magic,” Theo replied. From behind him, Stiles and Lydia had caught up to them, and the emissary wrinkled his nose as if he smelled the magic as well.

“Well. Looks like you were right about the fae,” Stiles replied.

Not a moment too soon, a shower of floating lights flooded the building hallways, and a parade of ghostly figures descended from the ceiling, their ghostly forms glowing in the building’s darkness.

The fae have arrived.

~

Theo had only seen fae up close a total of two times before.

The first time he had seen a fae was when he was thirteen, a young chimera still in training, where the body of an older teenage-looking fae was strapped to the table, it’s mana form trapped in its human body.

He could hear the boy’s pained thrashing and screaming, begging for the Doctors to stop, and before the fae reached condition terminal, the supernatural managed to tear off his leather bindings and fall to the floor, and protruding from his back were a pair of lacy insect wings.

Theo would never forget it, how a bright light erupted from the boy’s eyes before slumping lifelessly to the ground, wings broken from being underdeveloped, and the silver blood of mercury coming out of his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth – a broken boy that didn’t reach its potential.

The second time had been a year later, this time a girl around the age of the first one. The girl was pretty, Theo could vaguely remember, with blonde hair and bright eyes. Unlike the first one, this fae looked unafraid, her gaze unwavering as Theo stared her down.

_“Are you my savior or my tormentor?” she asked him._

_“What do you think?” Theo asked back._

_“I think you’re like me, just not tied up,” she replied, gesturing to her hands bound to the metal table._

_“I’m not like you,” he replied._

_“Sure you are. You’re trapped here, just like I am.”_

_“I’m not trapped. I choose to be here, because I choose to be strong. I’m a success.”_

_“You’re too young to decide what you think strong and success should be. How old are you?”_

_“That’s none of your business.”_

_“No. It isn’t. But I’m asking anyway. Humor me. How old are you?”_

_Theo only waited a beat before giving his answer._

_“Fourteen.”_

_“Fourteen’s too young to grow up so fast, I think.”_

_“It’s not like you’re that young yourself.”_

_The girl laughed, sounding melodious and carefree, as if she wasn’t strapped onto a metal table for experimentation._

_“One day you’ll find out that eighteen’s still a pretty young age to grow up the way we do.”_

_Theo snorted, while the fae only chuckled._

_“Fortunately, unlike me, you seem to be a chimera of good compatibility. A coyote and a wolf, huh?”_

_Theo was shocked. “How did you know?”_

_“I can tell. It’s your aura. It isn’t like mine, a horrible cross of magic and supernatural blood.”_

_“Isn’t the supernatural magic in itself?”_

_“I’m afraid not. Shape shifters like you are not compatible with magical beings like me. But your doctors either don’t seem to know that, or are still playing god that such a breed of chimera could ever be successful.”_

_“They’re pretty good. I bet you’ll be a success. You’re not even screaming in pain like the rest are.”_

_“Only because I wouldn’t stop if I did.”_

Theo went to visit the girl whenever he could – the fae strapped on the table was his only source of entertainment and company. The girl talked to Theo, and told him stories of magical beings and supernatural creatures. She taught him about wolves and kanimas, of wendigos and kitsunes, and of everything the Doctors didn’t teach Theo outside experimentation and the multitude of books the doctors left scattered around the tunnels.

She taught him how to talk normally, to interact with people, and that was how Theo learned how to talk to people normally despite being isolated by the Doctors in the tunnels.

She was the closest Theo had to having an education. To fourteen-year-old Theo Raeken, the fae girl was the closest to human interaction he’s had since he was stuck with his sister’s heart years ago, and for a brief time, she became his world.

Unfortunately, the girl was right: she was an incompatible mix of lion and fae, and it didn’t take long before her condition declined. She was incapable of summoning the golden color of the Nemean Lowenmensch eyes, nor was she able to control her magic or unfurl her wings. Just two months after their first meeting, the fae girl began bleeding mercury out of her nose, and Theo knew it was only a matter of time before she reached terminal condition.

One day, after Theo had undergone probing and testing from the Doctors, she found the fae girl unstrapped to her metal table, lying down on the floor, her fragile butterfly wings crumbling behind her.

_Theo rushed to her side. “What happened?”_

_“I’ve reached the end of the line. I asked the Doctors to unbind me, and they left me here to die on my own. I expect they’ll come to collect my body afterwards.”_

_For the first time in a long while, Theo felt horrifyingly helpless. “No, no, no, that can’t be, it’s only been two months.”_

_“Shorter than the average chimera, I am aware. At least I managed to convince the doctors to let me go. This is the closest I could come to dying on my own terms.”_

_“YOU’RE NOT DYING! You’ll be fine, you’ll be fine, the doctors just have to inject you with the new formula and you’ll be fine.”_

_“Tell me your name.”_

_Theo didn’t realize he was crying until the fae brought her hands to his cheek, brushing a stray tear away._

_“Tell me your name.”_

_“Theo. Theo Raeken.”_

_“Theo, do you remember the question I asked you the first time we met?”_

_“I do,” Theo replied, “am I your savior or your tormentor?”_

_“Thank you for being my friend in these last few moments I have. Thank you for saving me Theo. Thank you.”_

_“Your name! Tell me your name!”_

_“My name...?”_

_“Tell me your name!”_

_“My name...is...”_

The girl died in fourteen-year-old Theo’s arms, unable to do anything. This girl, who had been Theo’s tether to humanity and sanity for the longest time since he stayed with the Dread Doctors, had died in his arms, all because she was incompatibly mixed, and he wasn’t strong enough to really save her when she needed him.

That was perhaps the first turning point for Theo’s relationship with the Dread Doctors.

From that point on, he asserted his position on the Dread Doctors – mixing magical beings with supernatural creatures was doomed to fail, and shouldn’t be attempted any longer. Theo used the things the girl taught him to put his foot down: he spoke the language the Doctors understood – science – to incur their favour. He involved himself in the experimentation process, eventually learning how to make a reviving serum in secret.

It was this same serum he used to revive Hayden, Corey, and the other chimeras when they reached condition terminal.

Eventually, Theo learned to put his memory of the fae girl behind him, the fae whose name he didn’t even get the chance to know, one of the many forgotten memories of his difficult childhood as a lab experiment. But somehow, deep in his psyche, he had developed a complex to pursue power in whatever form it may come in – like for example, breaking up an existing pack and making it his own – in order to feel powerful and capable of accomplishing what he thought was impossible to do on his own.

It was more than a desire to save others, but rather a desire to save himself from feeling helpless again.

He’s never forgotten the scent of ancient magic and the feeling of being in the presence of fae though, the familiar warmth of magic they exuded and the scent of nature they brought. It always strangely both comforted and put him on edge.

It was a feeling he couldn’t put a word to describe.

It was a feeling that lacked a name.

~

Theo watched as the fae descended in a parade of firefly-like floating lights, their eyes vacant, filled with pure light. They looked calm and dignified, like intelligent ghosts that knew more than they let on, and looked like they meant no harm. They looked regal despite the vacant look in their eyes, their iridescent wings shimmering in the limited light in the building. They glowed softly in the darkness – like a vision in  a dream – ethereal and hypnotizing.

Then the scent of blood filled the air.

Lydia, who had been equally entranced by the fae’s arrival, slumped to the ground as a high pitched scream tore from her mouth, shaking the walls of the old building.

The fae had instantly turned from calm to frenzied, the floating lights around them – mana overflow, Theo remembers what they’re called – flitting manically through the air. A few of the fae went for Lydia, agitated by the presence of a banshee in their presence. Stiles immediately leaped into action, pulling out golden dust out of a pouch he pulled from his jacket, and immediately formed a ring of mountain ash around them for protection.

“Stiles! Lydia!” Liam yelled.

“We’re fine! I’ll handle the fae, you go after Scott!” Stiles yelled back, pulling more stuff out of his pouch. Theo could see the emissary produce a lighter and a bundle of herbs – sage and mistletoe – to ward off the attacking fae. Lydia looked hoarse and tired, emptied out as usual after a scream, and was slumped helplessly on the floor against Stiles’s legs.

The fae and mana overflow that weren’t attacking Stiles and Lydia flitted wildly in the air, with some of them tearing past them and going down the hallway, the same direction as Scott and Allison probably were.

Theo grabbed Liam by the arm and propelled him in the direction the fae were heading, stumbling on their steps as more fae zipped past them. For the most part, the fae didn’t seem like they were trying to cause them harm, but rather it seemed to even point them towards the source of the conflict.

Four strong-looking fae had cornered Stiles and Lydia by the stairwell, unable to cross Stiles’s mountain ash barrier. Stiles waved around his bundle of sage and mistletoe, their smoke and scent providing additional repellent. The fae screeched and tried to claw past the invisible barrier the emissary put up, and Stiles continued to smoke the fae out with his herbs and dust.

“GO!” Stiles yelled.

With one last urging, Theo and Liam left Stiles and Lydia and sprinted away, going deeper into the hallway towards the vault. The further they went, the more erratic the fae around them seemed to behave, and Theo couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone from bad to worse.

“This way,” Liam bounded past him and turned a corner, and the two of them came upon the open doors of the vault, the circular door of steel torn off its hinges. Inside, they could hear the fae screeching in high-pitched screams, growling sounds, and the sound of arrows zipping through the air.

Scott and Allison stood a few steps past the entrance, the entire room swarmed with fae and mana overflow. The huntress was letting loose a volley of arrows, aimed at the center of the room where two bodies stood upright.

The first figure, Theo identified, was the victim. The body hung from the ceiling, its arms tied up, blood dripping down to the floor. _We’re too late_ , Theo realized, _Lydia screamed before we could get here in time_.

“What’s happening? Why are there suddenly ghosts attacking us?” Scott asked them, slurring his words from the fangs protruding past his lips.

“They’re fae. It looks like the Darach’s dark magic is agitating them.”

“I can’t get a clear shot,” Allison spoke, “and I’m running out of arrows. Think you guys could help clear the fae so I could get the Darach?”

Liam nodded. “On it.”

Liam ran towards the Darach and aimed to slash at her with his claws, but was stopped midair and thrown across the room. Theo, on the other hand, was more subtle, letting Scott distract the fae and Darach as he crept towards the suspended body of the sacrifice.

When the Darach leapt from her position to engage Scott in battle, Theo took this as his chance and dove for the hanging victim. Theo extended his claws and slashed at the ropes, freeing the suspended body as it dropped to the floor. Theo took a quick glance at the victim, who was a middle-aged man still in his suit. Theo surmised the man was attacked on his way home from work.

Theo looked back towards the fight that ensued before him. Liam had recovered from being thrown across the room, and was on the Darach’s opposite side as Scott continued to press forward towards the dark druid. Scott lunged and slashed at the Darach, his body moving in wide steps keeping up with the dark druid’s evasive movement. In contrast, the Darach moved her arm in wide arcs, wielding mid-length double-edged daggers to injure her opponent.

Liam put a different pressure on the dark druid, crouching low and swiping at her legs, throwing a few loose uppercuts when the Darach made herself open, and whenever the Darach pressed against Liam, Scott would take his chance to deal a blow, and it was dance of continued attack and defense taking turns, the fae flittering around them obscuring the combatants’ clear vision.

At one point, Scott was the one thrown a few feet off on his back, and Liam engaged with the Darach on his own. Theo could see Liam was outmatched, and it seemed it wasn’t only him who realized. For the duration that Liam was on his own, a few arrows landed their blows against the Darach’s arms and sides, providing more distraction than actual damage. Not that Allison could get a cleaner shot – the fae were still frenzied around them. Before the beta could be overwhelmed though, Scott was back on his feet and rejoined the fight.

The fae were less frantic than before now that Theo has secured the victim’s body, but they were still frenzied, which meant Allison still couldn’t get a clean shot.

A few of the mana overflow flitted gently towards Theo, and the warm lights went over the victim’s body, enveloping the corpse in soft light that revealed the gruesome strangle marks on the man’s neck and deep caving in on his skull. There was no slash across his neck, Theo noticed. A few fae gathered close by, watching what Theo was going to do with the body. Theo wasn’t bothered by the gory display, but the fae’s behaviour was strange – Theo had assumed it was Darach the fae were after, but now that he’s holding the body, he couldn’t help but think that maybe it was the _sacrifice_ itself that bothered them.

More and more fae gathered away from the fight, giving Scott and Liam more chances to hit the Darach. The fae were becoming less frenzied by the second, and after Scott landed a nasty slash to the Darach’s chest and Liam kicked the Darach a few feet from them, Theo heard the air whistle as an arrow hit its mark on the dark druid’s chest, right where the heart is.

Allison lowered her bow as the Darach fell to its knees, clutching at the arrow. The Darach grabbed the arrow’s shaft and pulled, her chest dripping dark liquid down her torso. The Darach wailed in pain, as Allison stepped closer and stood beside Scott and Liam.

“The arrow is laced with mistletoe. It should impair her magical abilities a bit,” Theo heard Allison mumble to the two werewolves.

“It’s over. Give up. We only came for the civilian. We don’t want to engage you in a fight,” Scott called out to the Darach.

However, not a moment longer, the bleeding stopped, as if the Darach had started healing herself already with magic. Allison was quickly on her guard again, drawing her bow and arrow as Scott and Liam braced themselves for another brawl. Theo watched as the Darach drew a dagger from her side, expecting her to go for one of the three of them.

But the Darach didn’t attack either Scott, Allison, or Liam.

It took him a second longer to realize that a dagger had struck him dead center on the chest, and the familiar smell of wolfsbane filled his senses.

~

Liam watched in horror as the Darach drew her dagger and threw it across the room, cleanly striking Theo in the chest. Liam felt a wave of pain that Theo gave off, and a familiar scent on the dagger only terrified him more.

It was the familiar scent of wolfsbane.

Liam immediately ran towards Theo as Scott went for the Darach, and the two of them were engaged in another round of combat. The fighting behind him faded to a series of growls and screeches, and the sound of arrows whizzing past. Liam crouched beside Theo, who was clutching at his chest where the dagger was impaled, his breathing already heavy.

“Pull out the dagger! It’s filled with wolfsbane!” Liam fussed.

Theo huffed. “Don’t you think I’ve known and done that already, you dumbass? I can’t pull it out; the handle’s forged with mountain ash.”

“You’re a chimera! I thought mountain ash doesn’t bother you!”

“It doesn’t when it’s dust, but it does when it’s a _highly concentrated solid wood handle._ ”

“Okay! Okay! Could you stop giving me attitude for one sec? You’re going to die if we don’t pull that thing out of you!”

“Isn’t my imminent death all the more reason I need to use up all my remaining attitude before it goes to nothing?”

“Theo!”

“Calm down, Liam, it’s going to be fine,” Theo smirked as black liquid dribbled down his nose. Liam couldn’t have disagreed more.

Liam made a grab for the dagger, but an invisible force around the handle prevented him from even curling his fingers inches from the blade’s handle. The fae around Theo have obviously began being agitated again, dissipating into a frenzied mess around them and Scott, Allison, and the Darach fighting behind them.

“Use this guy’s hand,” Theo rasped.

“What?” Liam asked.

“Use this guy’s hand like a glove to get a hold on the handle,” Theo motioned to the sacrifice beside them. Liam groaned. “Really?”

“I thought you were against me dying?” Theo sassed. Liam huffed and grabbed the victim’s bounded wrists. Liam used a claw to cut the victim’s hands free, and proceeded to grab the dead man’s hand and positioned it around the dagger’s handle. Liam held a solid grip on the man’s hand as he used it as a means to get a hold on the dagger.

“This really isn’t how I imagined holding hands with a guy to be like,” Liam mumbled.

“I didn’t even know you were interested in holding a _guy’s hand,_ ” Theo coughed, spilling more black liquid from his mouth. Liam’s lips pressed into a thin line; the wolfsbane was circulating Theo’s bloodstream faster than he expected. Theo’s eyes began fluttering and that’s when Liam started panicking. Liam felt himself crush the man’s hand with his sudden strong grip around the dagger, hearing the soft crunch of finger bones breaking.

“Now that _definitely_ doesn’t sound like how you should hold a guy’s hand,” Theo slurred.

“Shut up,” Liam automatically replied before he decided to take it back, “wait, don’t shut up, keep talking, don’t fall asleep!”

“Don’t tell me what to do, Li,” Theo slurred.

“Just, Theo, stay awake okay? We’re gonna fix this,” with his grip on the man’s hand on the dagger, Liam pulled the dagger agonizingly slow, the mountain ash handle somehow resisting Liam’s strength despite no direct contact.

Before Liam could completely pull the dagger out, he felt himself thrown across the room and crashing into a wall. From a distance away, he could see Scott and Allison in a similar fallen heap on the other side of the room, and standing over Theo’s bleeding body was the Darach herself. The fae flitted more erratically now, their mana overflow hitting against the Darach and the fae clawing at the druid, pulling her away from Theo and the sacrifice.

With one sharp flick of the wrist, golden dust exploded from her hands, effectively driving the fae back. The Darach crouched and pulled the dagger from Theo’s chest, and without wasting any movement, swiped the dagger across the victim’s throat.

Liam suddenly felt the surge of power in the room. With the three-fold death complete, the Darach let out a victorious screech, and from where he was, Liam could see the Darach’s injuries from their previous scuffle heal in just seconds, the hole in her chest from Allison’s arrow closing quickly, as if she wasn’t harmed in the first place.

With recurring horror, Liam realized that the Darach was still holding the dagger over Theo’s weakened state, and he was immediately back on his feet to lunge back at the Darach. Before he could do anything though, the room was filled with a shimmering blue cloud-like smoke, rendering the Darach and the fae around them motionless.

Liam heard footsteps outside the vault, slow and even, as if it was someone taking their time to make their appearance. The footsteps drew closer, and as the thick smoke cleared, Liam made out the two figures that have just arrived.

“Well, don’t stop on my account, do continue.”

Stiles Stilinski and Lydia Martin have entered the vault.

~

What followed was a battle Liam could barely keep up with to actually remember. Scott, Stiles, and Lydia engaged in a full-scale supernatural fight with the Darach.

Scott slashed, swiped, and lunged at the Darach, engaging her in a close combat fight. Stiles on the other hand, evened out the playing field using his purifying smoke cloud, weakening the Darach and slowing down her regenerative abilities. Whenever the Darach would cast a spell or use mountain ash against Scott, Stiles would flick his wrist or swipe his arm in a wide arc to bid his smoke cloud to counter the Darach’s spell. The emissary also engaged in long-range attacks, at one point even manipulating blue will-o-wisps to home in on the dark druid as Scott was thrown to the ground.

To keep the frenzied fae away from the conflict and to cancel any spell the Darach cast that Stiles couldn’t counter in time, Lydia’s banshee screams nullified all effects of magic in the area, effectively keeping the fae away and rendering the Darach rare moments of vulnerability that Scott and Stiles took advantage of.

Liam was sure he would be in awe in any other situation, but as it was, his attention was focused on something else.

Or rather, someone else.

Staying out of the supernatural fight, Allison had crept her way towards Theo’s motionless body. She walked lightly and quickly, and if Liam wasn’t so worried for Theo, he’d be impressed with how precise and quiet Allison’s walk was. Liam joined her shortly, making his way over to Theo and the huntress as unnoticeable as possible to avoid the Darach’s attention.

Allison rifled through her small bag that was hanging on her side. She produced metal rod with a clunky looking end with lots of dials and numbers. The other end was open like the barrel of a gun. It looked like one of the Argent’s usual electric rods, except it was half its size and looked sleeker.

“Yellow wolfsbane is potent, but one of the easiest to cure. Tricky part is the window of opportunity left open after the wolfsbane is administered,” Allison began talking, trying to reassure Liam, “Theo’s not doing good, but we can still do this.”

The huntress adjusted and turned a few dials, and Liam could hear the electric whirring of the device come to life.

“What are you doing?” Liam asked.

“There’s only one way to cure yellow wolfsbane poisoning. And that’s to directly burn it out.”

Allison flicked a switch on the rod and hot blue flame burst out from the rod’s open end. Without pausing, the huntress plunged the flaming end of the rod down on Theo’s wound, immediately getting a pained reaction from Theo. The chimera howled in pain, his eyes opening to a bright yellow and his mouth curled into a fierce snarl of undisguised hurt.

“Hold him down!” Allison commanded Liam. The beta quickly complied, securing Theo’s arms above his head to prevent the chimera from attacking Allison, and the huntress pressed her portable flame torch deeper into the wound.

The fae and mana overflow around them shimmered in their dull light, casting hauntingly soft bursts of light that only highlighted how pale Theo looked. Liam pressed as firmly as he could against the thrashing chimera, Allison already sweating with the effort of keeping both Theo’s torso down and burning the wolfsbane on his wound.

“Almost there,” Allison gritted out.

A few seconds later, Theo let out a loud howl, and the tell-tale signs of a completely eradicated wolfsbane poison made itself visible as yellow smoke emanated from Theo’s wound. Allison quickly jumped off from where he staddled Theo and turned off her blowtorch, and Liam slumped down to sit on the ground, worn out from keeping Theo still. Theo was back to being unconscious, his face pinched as if still in pain.

Liam watched as the battle raged on, this time all three members of the pack pressing a pinch attack. Scott had the Darach cornered, the Alpha a flurry of slashing claws and sharp teeth. Stiles had concentrated his blue smoke-cloud into a spinning tornado around the Darach and Scott, weakening the druid, and Lydia’s low-pitched banshee scream rattled the walls of the vault, disorienting the Darach.

It wasn’t enough though. As a last ditch effort, the Darach produced another dagger hidden from her side and threw it at Scott, hitting him dead center in the chest. The Alpha was immediately down on his knees, face scrunched in pain.

“Scott!” Stiles yelled.

It was enough to distract and break the emissary’s concentration. The Darach flicked her wrist and sent Stiles flying towards Lydia, and the two of them went down hard on the ground. The blue smoke cloud slowly dissipated until there was none, and the Darach stood to her full height. Liam and Allison were quickly on their feet, prepared to engage. Liam’s face shifted to his werewolf form, eyes glowing yellow in the darkness.

However, the Darach didn’t make any move to attack them further. With a loud screech, the Darach waved her hand in the air in a wide arc, and a strong gust of wind, dust, and debris blew in circular motion inside the vault, like the dark druid had summoned a tornado in the confined space.

Liam and Allison crouched back to the ground, closing their eyes and covering their mouths. Liam shielded Theo’s unconscious form with his body from the strong wind, and a distance away, Liam could sense Allison do the same for the dead body.

When the wind died down, the Darach was gone, leaving the six of them tired, haggard, and lost. The fae had also disappeared, all except one, that stood a distance away, shimmering in the darkness, a few mana overflow lights floating gently around the fae.

“Well,” Stiles began, standing up and helping Lydia back on her high-heeled shoe-clad feet, “that could’ve gone better. At least nobody died!”

“Allison is literally holding the dead body of the Darach’s twelfth sacrifice,” Lydia pointed out.

“I mean nobody _relevant_ died,” Stiles clarified. Scott shot him a scandalized look.

“Stiles! Somebody died tonight as the Darach’s sacrifice. If what your research tells is true, she’s basically gained the ability of being impervious to most physical attacks. The dead guy _is_ relevant.”

“You know what I mean,” Stiles grumbled.

“Theo?” Liam mumbled, shaking Theo’s still unconscious form. Liam could feel Theo’s pained breathing, his body tense even as he was passed out.

“Is he going to be alright?” Lydia asked, worried.

“Do not fret child. Your huntress has administered the proper treatment in time. Though the poor lad will most likely take time to heal properly.”

The five of them turned towards the voice. The fae that was left behind took the figure of a tall willowy woman. She glowed faintly of a pale golden color that almost seemed white. Her eyes were a brilliant shade of blue, her hair a rich golden blonde trailing behind her as if being blown by unfelt wind. She looked a little older than them, but exuded a mature aura, her high cheekbones giving her a regal look. She had beautiful and intricately-patterned butterfly wings that moved with her every step.

“Who are you?” Scott asked.

The fae laughed in a melodious tone. “Alpha Scott McCall, despite the circumstances, it is a pleasure to meet you. I am Daphne, Queen of the Asparas Fae, protector of the leylines of the land of Beacon.”

“Oh,” Scott mumbled, “um, yeah, nice to meet you too, uh, Queen Dahpne, ma’am.” Liam saw Lydia and Allison cringe from Scott’s butchered greeting back royalty.

“It is an honor to meet you as well, Queen Daphne,” Stiles strode forward, lowering his head in a reverent bow, “I wish we had met under less trying situations.”

“Emissary Mieczyslaw Stilinski, it is an honor to meet you as well. Emissary Deaton speaks highly of you and your proficiency with assistive magic, as I do now that I have witnessed today’s battle. Amongst the fae, proficiency in such magic is a highly coveted skill – and you have earned my respect,” the fae queen turned towards Lydia and smiled at her as well. “And of course, Miss Lydia Martin, heir to Lucinda Martin of the Banshees. You have grown more powerful than anyone has foreseen.”

Lydia curtsied beside Stiles, and the fae queen turned to Allison next. “And I would assume you are the matriarch of the Argent line. It is an honor to meet you as well, Allison Argent. Someone from such an illustrious family, and from such a bloodline is an honor.”

“I’m not the family head,” Allison shook her head, “at least not yet. My dad is the current Argent family’s leader.”

“The family’s regeant, I see,” the fae queen finally turned towards Liam and tilted her head. “And you are not from here. There is a powerful magic lingering from you – an exceptionally strong ancient form of magic as well.”

“They’re not from here, but they’re pack,” Scott said, staking claim.

The fae queen walked towards Liam and kneeled beside him. Scott moved towards them but was held back by Stiles, who only nodded his head once, silently saying that it was okay. Allison and Lydia watched curiously, interested to see what happens.

“I feel the residues of fae magic,” the queen said quietly to Liam, privately, “was it a fae that brought you here?”

“We think so,” Liam replied, gesturing to Theo, “we just remember being here all of a sudden, no memory of how. Theo could probably tell you more about that topic if he was awake.”

“Your friend is suffering from the lingering effects of poisoning. Would you like me to bless him, to ease his recovery?” the fae queen asked. Liam looked suspiciously at her and the fae laughed.

“I understand your distrust, but believe me that I would do your friend no harm. I give you my word. After all, we Asparas fae are faeries of blessings.”

“Then please. Help him,” Liam hated how a little bit desperate he sounded. The fae queen nodded and put her hands on Theo’s forehead and chest. She glowed a little brighter, a gentle pale light, her mana overflow circling them in a slow dance.

Liam could feel Theo’s breathing even out, his body relaxing under the fae queen’s magic. Theo fluttered his eyes open and looked at the fae kneeling before him.

“I’ve never dreamed of you before,” Theo mumbled.

“That is perhaps because this is our first encounter, chimera,” the fae queen replied.

Theo chuckled softly, and Liam saw that despite Theo’s unfocused gaze, a glint of recognition flickered behind his lidded eyes.

“Oh. It’s you.”

The fae queen tilted her head, confused just as Liam was.

“Your name. Tell me your name.”

“My name?”

“Tell me your name.”

“My name is Daphne.”

Theo smiled. “Daphne. Are you my savior or my tormentor?”

Now this question seemed to garner the fae queen’s attention. Liam quickly sensed the fae’s curiosity from beside him, and he could sense the pack behind him, eagerly listening in as well.

“Go to sleep,” the fae queen whispered softly.

“Theo.”

“Theo?”

“S’my name,” the chimera mumbled.

“Well then, go to sleep, Theo. Pleasant dreams.”

A few seconds later, Theo was fast asleep, his breathing easy and body relaxed. The fae queen stood up and Liam looked up to her, the fae’s expression a look of curiosity and sorrow.

“Has your friend met any fae before?” she asked.

“Maybe. He knows a lot about the supernatural in general, really,” Liam replied.

“That question,” the fae queen began, “is something we only ask if we fae have given up on a struggle, and have handed our will – our life – over to someone else. Your friend seemed like he was offered that question if he knows of it.”

The fae queen smiles sadly. “And based on how he asked it, I have a feeling which one he was. It is very much obvious anyways.”

To Liam, Theo was both savior and tormentor, the latter first before the former. Theo had gone out to do every wrong thing to do in their pack – earn their trust to divide them, goad them against each other, fed them lies, and ultimately, pitting them against each other for his benefit. When he was sent to hell and summoned back, he had gone out his way to make himself useful to the pack – sticking close to Liam most of all. Theo has saved Liam multiple times from making bad decisions and getting killed in general.

But then again, Liam saved Theo too, if he thought about it.

They saved each other.

The fae queen turned away from Liam and faced Scott and the others. “I’m afraid I cannot stay long. At the moment, not only is there dark magic conjured by the Darach present, but other fae and magic – strong, ancient, and even sinister kinds – have begun moving. I must do my part to protect the leylines’ blessings to this land. For that, please pardon me, I must take my leave.”

“We hope to meet again in more favourable circumstances,” Stiles replied, voice even and light, and bowed before the queen, a loose fist and palm salute given. Lydia curtsied and Allison did her hunter’s bow, right hand on her chest over where her heart is, and bowed at a forty-five-degree angle.

Scott fumbled his greeting, and copied Stiles.

“Yes. Let’s have a more pleasant meeting next time.” Turning in a circle in midair, the fae queen disappeared in thin air, her glow fading to nothing until there was no trace of her presence left.

The older pack members stood stunned for a second longer, before shaking themselves out of their trance. Liam looked down on Theo’s form, looking more relaxed than before – he looked as if he was just asleep. Liam couldn’t help remembering waking up to Theo’s soft face in the morning, and he was filled with a deep pulling feeling in his gut that fills him with a warmth he didn’t know he could feel for Theo.

It wasn’t time to reflect on it though; they had just gotten from a confrontation from the Darach, secured a twelfth body, and they needed to get out of the abandoned building now.

Liam brought Theo’s arms around his neck to carry him out of the vault, when another force helped carry the chimera from the other side. Liam saw Scott put Theo’s other arm around his shoulder, and smiled at the beta warmly.

“C’mon let’s get out of here.”

~

Stiles considered himself to be a patient man. Okay, so maybe he complained a lot when the line to order at the local fastfood went longer than thirty seconds to move forward, and maybe he was the type to take matters into his own hands when other people took too long to do something, and _maybe_ , _okay_ , he was the type to complain to Scott on text over life’s minor inconveniences because of the many things that needed waiting to happen, and –

Okay, so that totally doesn’t make Stiles sound like a very patient person. But he is – he just has a lot of moments that test his patience, and he’s bound to snap from time to time, right? Exactly, and anyways, if there is anything Stiles is, he is patient. He can wait for the right time with only a wish and a prayer and he could do it.

He’d complain a lot, but he could do it.

Driving back to their area of the neighbourhood, Stiles chuckled amusedly at Scott’s obvious embarrassment at their earlier encounter.

“‘ _Nice to meet you too, uh, Queen Daphne, ma’am’_? Oh my _god_ Stiles, why didn’t you stop me there?” Scott moaned from beside him. Stiles laughed, shaking his head.

“You know I can’t. She addressed you first, the Alpha. It’s common courtesy to let the Alpha speak first.”

“I called her _ma’am_ , Stiles. She’s a _queen_.”

“It’s still pretty polite. I think she thought it was funny too.”

“I blatantly asked her who the hell she was!”

“Without the actual cussing, so still, points for that! Still, you’re etiquette could use more work. Didn’t Lydia and Alpha Hale teach you enough?”

“They did, but I just, you know, she was...”

“Glowing? Half-butterfly, half night light? A gorgeous visage that inspired certain parts of your body to come alive– ”

“Stiles! No! Eww!”

“Relax Scott. She seemed pretty chill about the whole thing. Not to mention she even helped out Theo back there even though she wasn’t really obligated to.”

“Speaking of obligations, I’m already dreading this meeting,” Scott groaned.

After Queen Daphne left, the six of them left the abandoned bank. Due to each of their unique positions, they had separate different things to do right away. Allison, being the pack’s huntress, is required to report back to her dad on the night’s incident. In charge of the dead body they brought out is Lydia, being the banshee, who promptly dialled Mellissa McCall and Sheriff Stilinski’s numbers, informing of the twelfth body count. Before leaving though, Lydia dialled Jackson and asked him to come pick up Theo and Liam, and to bring them back to the Geyer’s residence.

Scott, being the Alpha, was required to report back to the governing pack of Beacon Hills regarding tonight’s incident immediately, which is why Stiles is driving Scott off at the edge of the preserve so he could head over to the Hale house.

Stiles slowed down to stop by the edge of the woods that was the closest point to run towards the Hale house, and Scott opened the door and stepped out.

“All of us have to meet up with the adults tonight, and I still have school tomorrow,” Scott complained, “you have somewhere you need to be at tonight?”

Stiles sighed. He used up a good chunk of his supplies tonight in the fight against the Darach, so a trip to Deaton wouldn’t be so bad. But to be faced with Deaton’s lectures filled with cryptic meanings at this late in the night? Stiles wasn’t masochistic enough to subject himself to that torture.

“I could head over to Deaton to get more supplies, I suppose.”

Now this technically, wasn’t a lie. Stiles _could_ head over to Deaton to get more supplies, but he knows he’s not going there tonight. He doesn’t need to tell Scott where he intends to go though; he doesn’t need his best friend’s questioning now. Besides, outright telling Scott he’d go home after tonight’s fight would be an obvious lie that anyone in the pack would be able to tell. That’s why twisting the truth to his convenience has become quite the hobby of his.

He’s gotten quite skilled at that, lying without outright lying.

“Alright. See you tomorrow on the field after my lessons?”

“Sure. I’ll bring Isaac and Kira if they’re available.”

“Great! See ya then!”

Stiles watched as Scott morphed into his werewolf form and bounded into the forest, his steps fading to a soft crunching of leaves fading to silence after a few seconds. Stiles put the car back into drive and circled back towards another part of town.

He didn’t put much thought into when it started exactly, but he was sure it started after the kidnapping incident with the hunters all those months back. Three weeks of being tortured for information on the Hale pack was, well, _torture_ , and Stiles even questioned himself these days how he wasn’t so crazy like he thought he should be. It was a traumatic experience, god, complete with chains and whips and lots of electrocution.

Scratch that – forget insanity, he’s wondering how he survived that _alive_.

He remembered those moments he thought were going to be his last, still clear and vivid in his mind like it happened only hours ago.

_Stiles cowered in the corner, drenched with cold water the hunter dumped on him. He was stripped down to only his pants, the biting cold air of his cell making it harder for him to stay warm._

_“Look kid, this war doesn’t have to be your fight. You’re not one of them, right? Just make this easier and we’ll let you go, yeah?”_

_Stiles could tell this guy was new, nobody talked to him like that around here, not in the time he’s spent._

_“C’mon, ready to talk? Cause I’m here ready to listen.”_

_“Alright. Go f-fuck y-yourself then,” Stiles couldn’t keep his teeth from chattering._

_The hunter tutted and reached out behind him. Stiles could tell by the shadow that it was a whip, but what grabbed his attention was the jangling sound the whip came with. Stiles looked up and saw the familiar roll of the leather whip they used on him, except this time it was a flayed whip, with several sharp implements glinting in the cell’s limited lighting._

_“This is the last time we’re going to ask, okay kid? I’m going to be your last interrogator, so if you want to talk, now would be the time,” the hunter drawled, sounding almost bored at the torture Stiles no doubt was sure to come his way. The bastard. “After this, well, there won’t be any questions. In fact, there won’t be any of you left.”_

_Stiles couldn’t remember how long the torture lasted – all he remembers is the cold cell and being flayed by a sharp-tipped whip. He remembers lying unmoving on the floor, the cold water and warm blood mixing and pooling under him, sick with the smell of his own blood. He couldn’t remember when his voice lost its sound from all his agonized screaming, but he does remember the panic attacks that came in between – his shortness of breath and unfocused vision, his episodes coming and going in between the intervals his tormentor didn’t whip him._

_Through it all, just as the same since he was captured, he had not divulged any information about the Hales._

_Stiles fell unconscious after several hours of beatings, and when he realized he was growing tired and closing his eyes, he was overcome with a sudden terror that this was how he was going to die: tortured to death by a heartless monster with no one to save him._

_Which was why when he regained consciousness, it was truly a surprise._

_“STILES!”_

_He remembers the walls shaking with the voice’s volume, resonating throughout the place, calling out to him._

_“...Here...”_

_“STILES. STAY THERE, I’M COMING FOR YOU.”_

_Stiles remembered his cell door being opened harshly, torn from its hinges and thrown out in the hallway, making a loud banging sound. He remembered the tall and menacing figure that stalked toward him, slow and precise steps, eyes glowing blue in the dark._

_He remembered cowering in the corner, flinching from the figure’s approaching shadow, and shaking, just terrified at the man’s next move. Was this the end? Did he come to collect him?_

_“Stiles?”_

“Stiles?”

The emissary was shaken out of his reverie as a knock on his side interrupted his thoughts. Just like before, Stiles managed to drive himself to the loft’s parking without realizing, like he was on autopilot and his default destination was this place.

Stiles opened the car door and stepped out, casually leaning against his Porsche’s side. Derek crossed his arms over his chest and stood expectantly before him, clad in his blue Henley and grey jogger pants.

“Oh, hey Derek, what’s up?”

Derek Hale raised an eyebrow. “You’ve been sitting here alone in your car for the last ten minutes. You smell of danger and wolfsbane and several other herbs I can’t identify. You smell of magic. You tell me what’s up. What happened?”

Stiles sighed. For all his skill in deflection and misleading commentary, there were things he couldn’t skirt around born wolves like the Hales. Derek particularly, as the man seems to have mastered the art of reading Stiles’s bullshit before he could open his mouth.

“Downtown, abandoned bank. We got into a fight with the Darach. Lydia’s taking care of the body.”

Derek’s expression grew grim. “The twelfth sacrifice?”

“Yep. With the fourth group down, she’s acquired the ability of resistance to most damages and harm that could be done to her.”

“That’s not good. Who was with you?”

“Everyone that was left at the house after all of you left, which was me, Scott, Lydia, Allison, and the other two, Liam and Theo. Theo got into a bad spot and was poisoned by wolfsbane, but he’s okay now. Lydia called Jackson to take them home.”

“Where are they now?”

“Allison went home to talk to her dad, and Lydia called Mellissa and my dad to explain the dead body. I just dropped Scott off to head over to the Hale house.”

“And you came here,” Derek pointed out last.

“Yes, I can see that. Sorry dude, I was just sort of lost in thought. I’m gonna go, I better go home –”

“Erica and Isaac are at the house; Laura invited them over for dinner. Boyd’s with his sisters tonight,” Derek interrupted. Stiles heard the unspoken offer.

“I’m sorry for bothering you,” Stiles sighed, “I’m just tired. Used up a lot of magic mumbo-jumbo. It was tiring you know? Could I crash at your couch for a few hours? I promise I won’t make a mess, I’ll be out of your hair by midnight!”

“I don’t mind a little mess; I live with Isaac after all. Just don’t be too _noisy_.”

“I’m not _that_ noisy.”

Derek raised an eyebrow at him again. Stiles wanted to smack those judgmental eyebrows off his stupid face, but merely raised his chin, not backing down. Derek rolled his eyes at Stiles’s childishness, and spun on his heel to get back inside the loft. Stiles, already feeling himself relax, followed Derek.

Ever since Derek found and rescued him from the hunter’s stronghold, he had developed this ridiculous attachment to the man. Before, he viewed Derek as just a tall, attractive, distant mancrush which developed into a full-blown actual crush, but now.

Now.

Stiles didn’t know what to think. He knows he’s probably grown attached to Derek simply because he was the one that found him at that time, but he can’t seem to rationalize with himself all that too well whenever he gets lost in thought. Scott, Lydia, and Allison have all been good at dealing with his whole ADHD-PTSD-anxiety-panic-attacks-clusterfuck since his capture, and his dad has been a champ at giving him the space and attention he never thought he needed from his dad before, but the way Derek is callously gentle and honest with him is different.

It’s different than before.

Before, Derek was just like Scott’s older brother that liked to annoy him. God, Stiles couldn’t even remember how they started getting along so well when they started off on the wrong foot. Wrong feet even – Laura still likes to remind him of the time Stiles almost flashed Derek when he got a shower at the Hale house after lacrosse with Scott, and the ensuing teasing from Nick and Cora Hale that followed, and the many other incidents that followed that involved shoving into walls and banging heads on steering wheels.

Derek had always been the quiet one – stoic and almost uncaring; he was the complete opposite of Laura who liked getting into the middle of things. Stiles even had a brief crush on Laura before he got back on his ridiculous curve on obsessing with Lydia, and for most of the time before the incident, he was like Laura’s little brother too.

But now, Derek’s silence and distance offered him the breather he needs after hanging out with Scott, Allison, and Lydia. Derek’s presence offered a buffer between his emissary duties and his normal teenage life – one insult at each other at a time. Derek didn’t feel like Scott’s older brother, now he was just Derek. Because truth be told, despite how Derek looks and what he says, he’s an actual softie – his actions louder than his words.

These days Derek feels like home, and Stiles is afraid of that feeling, of being so unhealthily attached to someone out of trauma.

Lydia, predictably, saw through him and refuted him on it.

_“Stiles, you’re a pretty resilient guy. I know the PTSD hasn’t gone, you’re always going to carry it with you, but this attachment to Derek you have? You and I both know it’s not the trauma or PTSD or this ridiculous notion I know you’re thinking is an unhealthy attachment towards him because of a traumatic experience. Don’t argue with me Stilinski! I know you just as much as you might know about me. You’re doing fine. Don’t rationalize this. You know exactly what it is.”_

And well, Lydia is right – then again, she’s almost always right, so it wasn’t surprising, really.

What really threw him off was how similar Scott compared Derek and him to Liam and Theo.

_“You should’ve seen them last night, Stiles. It’s like watching another version of you and Derek. They obviously argue a lot, but they obviously care about each other, too. It was like how we were all meeting at the table and the two of them just had their own world on Derek’s couch.”_

_“Yeah, but obviously they’d be close to each other. They’re together in another universe Scott. They’re all they have.”_

_“Liam looks at Theo the way you do at Derek.”_

_“And how does Liam look at Theo?”_

_“Like he couldn’t look away.”_

So to summarize, Stiles is fucked up. In the head. Quite a lot.

Anyways, he knows he shouldn’t be involving himself with these kinds of complex feelings especially if he thinks he’s not in the right headspace for it, but apparently, he’s getting better to actually _be_ in the right headspace. (Hooray for a working support system!)

But if he was, then why does he still cling to Derek after every bad encounter?

Stiles was once again snapped out of his thoughts when he bumped face first into Derek’s chest, who had apparently stopped in the middle of the hallway instead of stepping back inside his loft.

“Wha?”

“Stiles,” Derek began, “you need to sleep.”

“That’s the idea, buddy,” Stiles quipped, his voice still a tone distracted, “gimme a few hours and I’ll be fine.”

“Stay the night. And use the bed, I’ll use the couch.”

“Dude, it’s your bed. I’m not taking your bed.”

“Yes, you are. You’re tired and in no shape to drive anymore. And don’t call me dude.”

“I am fine! I just need to recharge and I’ll be –” Right in that moment, a huge unbidden yawn escaped Stiles’s mouth, and he could see the sligh upward tick of Derek’s lips into a small smile.

“Aaaaaaaaaand I’ll be taking your bed.”

Stiles strode past Derek and into the loft, promptly taking off his jacket and tossing them over to the couch. Without looking back, he climbed up the staircase and stood at the top, just staring at Derek’s bed.

It wouldn’t be the first time he’d find himself on Derek’s bed. It was one their unspoken rules since Stiles started periodically staying at the loft – Stiles uses the bed to sleep. Every time Stiles found himself falling asleep on the couch or at the table doing homework, he’d wake up the following morning in Derek’s bed alone.

Sometimes, he’d wake up with Derek around him, too. But that rarely happens – it’s only happened, like, five times. Not that Stiles was counting.

Stiles is once again snapped out of his thoughts for the umpteenth time when a hand on his shoulder coaxes him towards the bed. Craning his head around is Derek, now only in his pants. Stiles felt his throat dry up.

“Okay,” Stiles mumbled to himself.

“Okay?” Derek asked.

“Yeah. Okay.”

After getting settled into bed – together – Stiles tried not to think too much about it and failed. He was tired and exhausted, and this unexpected display of intimacy – or well, lack of clothing, really – was honestly bothering him.

Especially when Derek made a motion of tugging Stiles’s shirt off.

“You’re heart’s racing. What’s wrong?”

“Dude! Why are you trying to take my shirt off in bed?”

“Because you stink. You smell of magic and herbs and I don’t want that scent on my bed.”

“Are you planning to take all my clothes off then?”

“Maybe you should take a shower.”

“Alright, shower first then.”

“On second thought, no, at this rate you’ll pass out on the shower.”

“Then just deal with it or let me take the couch. Seriously, I don’t have to use your bed.”

“Stiles?”

“Yeah?”

“Shut up.”

“Shutting up now.”

The two of them collapsed in bed at the same time, both letting out loud sighs.

“Dude, why are you even sighing? You’re not the one that just got out of a fight.”

“I’m dealing with you, isn’t that reason enough?”

“Rude. I am too pleasant a company to warrant such annoyed sighing! I am premium company! Excellent company!”

“And here you promised you wouldn’t make much noise.”

“I made no such promise, I promised to not make a mess.”

Derek scrunched his nose.

“Just take your shirt off, you stink.”

“If I stunk, I’ll just take a shower or take the couch.”

“Stiles.”

“What?”

“Take your shirt off.”

“Okay.”

Really. What else could Stiles do when a shirtless Derek Hale is together in bed with him, asking him to take his shirt off?

“Now sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll just text my dad –”

“Already did. Said he and Mellissa talked with Lydia and are at the hospital as we speak, and that you shouldn’t drive anymore. Now sleep.”

“...”

“...”

“...Derek?”

“What.”

“What do you think of Liam and Theo?”

“Why the sudden question about them?”

“Just because.”

There was a beat before Derek formed his answer.

“I think we could trust them.”

“Do they feel like pack to you?”

“Sort of. The vibe I get from Liam is somewhat...familiar? Like there’s a connection there already that just needs connecting.”

“A connection that needs connecting. Wow. Listen to you using actual words. Now only if you made actual sense.”

“Why are you asking me anyway?”

“I have it in mind that you also bear Scott’s well-being in mind. I wanted to see if you trust them to be around the pack.”

“Do you?”

“I don’t know,” Stiles mumbled, “Liam’s like an open book, it’s easy to trust him. Kid doesn’t even know how to lie properly. Theo on the other hand, is a hard nut to crack.”

“He’s different from Liam.”

“He’s a chimera.”

“He has the same haunted look you have.”

Stiles laughed. “Yeah. I noticed that too. Been through hell, I heard. Quite literally.” Stiles couldn’t see, but he knew Derek raised an eyebrow at that. “It’s a long story, and not mine to tell.”

“Alright. Care to tell me what happened tonight while we’re being so chatty?”

“Nah dude, maybe tomorrow.”

“Breakfast?”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

There was another beat of silence.

“Hey Derek?”

A soft sigh. “What.”

“How does Liam and Theo look at each other?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Just...Scott said something. About them maybe being a thing? Now I’m curious.”

“He looks at him like he can’t look away.”

“Heh. Scott said the same thing. Said Liam’s gone on Theo.”

“Actually, I was talking about Theo.”

“...Oh.”

“It’s just...I guess it isn’t noticeable, but when you catch him in the moments you think nobody’s looking, I could see it. Like last night when they were just quiet on the couch. And there was this lull in our conversation and I checked up on them and Liam was watching Scott, and Theo was just...”

“Just...?”

“He looked at Liam like he was his anchor, but was too afraid to get closer.”

Oh, how Stiles knew _exactly_ how that felt. Stiles turned over on his side facing away from Derek, refusing to meet the older man’s eyes.

“Stiles?”

“Yeah, let’s go to sleep.”

“Okay. Good night Stiles.”

“Good night, Derek.”

Stiles closed his eyes and decided to ignore how Derek just casually threw his arm around Stiles’s waist like it was normal and calmed his heart down. He was not going to lose it tonight in Derek Hales bed.

Stiles listed all the things that’s happened today and what he’s learned today in his bed. One, he’s still mildly insane, confirmed by Lydia after that stunt he pulled on Liam and Theo at breakfast.

Two, with the Darach attacking Theo during their extraction operation, despite being an ambiguous addition to the pack, they now have an equally ambiguous claim to hunt the Darach.

Three, Liam and Theo are a thing. Or is going to be a thing. Stiles needs to see more before making conclusions.

And four, he’s ready to admit to himself that he like _likes_ Derek Hale, and not because of trauma or unhealthy attachments due to an unpleasant experience. He’s pretty sure he’s like Theo.

Not even denial is enough to hide the fact they are both so far gone on someone they’re afraid to have.


	7. Part 6: Reprieve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo get a break and hang out with various members of the pack. Includes fake names, diner breakfasts, and shopping for clothes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I'm back with a new chapter. This chapter essentially focuses more on Liam and Theo, mixed with interacting with other members of the pack that canon TW did not have Thiam interact with. Another side pairing is revealed in this chapter as well. Tell me what you guys think, and leave a comment below - I'd really appreciate your comments and thoughts!!! :D

 Warmth and comfort are not the first things Theo would associate feeling for most of his life, considering that at ten years old he became a supernatural experiment, but he’s beginning to become familiar with the concept of waking up to that feeling these days.

Theo opened his eyes and stared blankly at the plain gray ceiling of the room he was in. He twisted his body around, groaning at the surprising feeling of pain his body was in, and took in his surroundings. The familiar scents that registered with him when he woke up told him he was at the Geyer’s residence, but the scent of _Liam_ was so apparent it was impossible to ignore.

The bed was warm and comfortable, a particular small spot beside his head reeking of Liam’s scent of worry and fatigue. The room looked exactly as it did the night Liam had a breakdown: clothes strewn across the floor, Liam’s table a mess of papers and books, and a pot of dead flowers by the corner. Right by the foot of the bed was a small basin of water, a small towel submerged in it.

He slowly lifted his upper body and supported his weight on his right arm, and shifted his body sideways to swing his legs of the bed – Liam’s bed to be exact. His body was in no extreme pain, but he still felt uncomfortable in his body, like he had been drugged and the effects haven’t worn off.

That’s when the memories of the previous night rushed in, and he quickly tore his shirt – no, _Liam’s_ shirt, _Jesus_ – and clawed at his chest, only to find smooth skin, not even a sliver of a scar.

“Good morning.”

Theo turned his head to look at Liam who stood by the door, leaning on the door frame as he nursed a mug of coffee in his hand. Liam looked and smelled of worry, like he didn’t get a decent night’s sleep. His blonde hair stuck in air messily, his blue eyes a little droopy and shoulders slumped. He was clad in loose clothes that hung over his body like a blanket, like he had just woken up.

“What happened?” Theo’s voice croaked.

Liam entered the room and stood by his table, setting his mug by the dead pot of flowers. He sighed before sitting down, facing Theo and rubbing the sleep out of his face.

“You were attacked by the Darach when you went for the sacrifice’s body. You got poisoned by yellow wolfsbane, and Allison and the fae queen treated you. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Allison dealt with her, but she got away.”

“How’d we get back here?”

“Lydia called Jackson and he dropped us off back here.”

“Where’s the rest of the pack?” Theo groaned as he shifted on the bed to a more comfortable position.

“I heard Lydia on the phone with the Sheriff and Mellissa. I think Allison went back to Argent, and I heard Scott was off to the Hales.”

Theo groaned when he tried to stand up from the bed, and instantly found himself sitting back on the bed, Liam’s hands firmly yet gently holding him down from standing up.

“You should take it easy. The fae queen said she sped up your recovery process, but you still need time to heal.”

“The fae queen?”

“After the Darach went away, all the fae went away too, and the only one left was their queen. Apparently, she’s the guardian of the leylines running through the building. She helped you.”

“Oh.”

Liam paused for a few seconds before he asked his next question.

“Did you know any fae back then?”

“What? Yeah. I think so. The Doctors had a lot of test subjects. Why?”

“Nothing really,” Liam shook his head, “it’s just, there was a moment you were a little loopy from the healing magic, and you asked the fae queen something that made her sad.”

Theo cocked his head to the side, curiosity piqued. “What did I say?”

“You asked her ’Are you my savior or my tormentor?’ She didn’t really explain it, but she sort of implied you were heavily involved with a fae before.”

“I don’t really remember,” Theo answered, “maybe I was. I try not to dwell on that part of my past. It’s not exactly a pleasant place to go to.” Theo held his hand to his mouth to stop himself from talking. He was loose-lipped from exhaustion – he really needed to get a handle of himself when it comes to oversharing with Liam.

Liam, on the other hand, misinterpreted the gesture. “What’s wrong? Do you need to puke?”

“I’m fine,” Theo glared at him before sighing, “I’m hungry though. We got food around?”

“We ate the last of the pancakes yesterday,” Liam replied.

“What time is it?”

“Just past 6 actually.”

“It’s early. Should we go to the usual place then?”

“Theo, you’re tired. I could just go and buy takeout –”

“Just give me a few minutes to sort myself out, and we can go. I’m in pain, not incapacitated.”

“Alright. Need help?”

Theo crouched a bit and stood up slowly, his vision spinning slightly. Theo didn’t stumble though, and he actually felt a little better now that he was on his feet. Theo took a few steps and stood a few feet away from where Liam sat, his stance deceptively stable.

“Nah. I can see to myself just fine,” Theo drawled, smirk back on his face, “do _you_ need help?”

“Yeah actually. You can help by getting out of my room so I can change.”

Theo rolled his eyes and sauntered out the room, throwing a wave behind him. “Go ahead. You look like shit.” He could hear Liam scoff behind him, and muttering “Like you look any better”, knowing full well the chimera could still hear him. He left the room, not bothering to close the door behind him.

The coolness of the hallway was a stark contrast to the warmth that was in Liam’s room. It was as if the entire house was devoid of warmth, and the only place it focused on was the room he had just vacated. He heard a deep exhale from Liam’s room before he heard a light thump, like a weight dropping on the carpet floor, and Theo found himself going back to check on him.

Theo approached the room with light steps, not betraying his returning presence. He peered along the edge of the open door, looking at what could have been wrong. Liam was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed; his head resting by the spot Theo picked up the beta’s scent the strongest. The beta had his eyes closed, his arm slung over his eyes as his head tipped back on the bed.

Theo felt bad about seeing Liam this way. Despite their recent form of friendship, Liam has never allowed himself to be so openly vulnerable in front of Theo, not since the Dread Doctors incident. Throughout their continued presence in each other’s lives, Theo had noticed that Liam has allowed himself to be open around the chimera, but still guarded in a way that their werewolf reflexes were still active.

Now though, Liam just looked tired.

“It’s fine Theo,” Liam’s voiced floated in the empty room. Theo shouldn’t be surprised that Liam could tell he was still close by due to his werewolf senses, but he was surprised at the lack of care Liam displayed at looking this openly weakened in front of him.

“Just give me a few minutes to sort myself out, and we can go.”

Theo nodded and turned away, taking note how Liam used his exact words on him, and ignored the dull ache in his body as he walked towards Liam’s parents’ room. The bed was just as he left it yesterday, and the room was cold, leaving him missing the warmth of Liam’s room.

Theo wasn’t an idiot. He could see the picture that Liam’s actions painted of what happened last night as he was passed out. Theo should’ve known Liam was the type to stay up late to try and make sure he was alright for the night. He could see it clearly: Liam pressing cold towel rolls on Theo’s head to aid in regulating his unusual high temperature from wolfsbane poisoning, Liam sleeping by his bedside, and Liam not saying anything.

And it wasn’t that Liam wouldn’t say anything about taking care of Theo – he would mention it, Theo knows – but only if he was asked. He’d complain about the discomfort of not being able to sleep on his bed and blame it on Theo, having them bicker, but Liam wouldn’t use his taking care of the chimera as leverage against him.

Theo sighed and entered the room’s en suite bathroom. He was going to get showered and changed, and he was going to grab breakfast with Liam.

Just like before.

~

The first time Liam and Theo went out together for a meal happened three months after Liam offered his room for Theo to sometimes crash in for the night.

_Liam woke up to the scent of terror and choked breaths beside him. Fully alert and on his feet, Liam quickly rose from his bed in a sitting position to check for threats, but was only met with the sight of Theo squirming in the sleeping bag on his bedroom floor._

_The chimera was sweating and shaking, fast breaths and soft whimpering giving Liam a glimpse of the kind of person Theo had become after summoning him back, and to be honest, Liam hated himself for how he felt about it the first night it happened._

_Obviously, Liam thought that Theo definitely deserved to suffer. After everything he’d put everyone through, it was well-deserved – karma doing its job. But it was exactly this line of thinking that Liam hated about himself when he saw Theo having nightmares for the first time, because he knew –_ knows – _that Theo isn’t that bad person anymore. After getting out of whatever hell Kira’s sword plunged him in, he had been more human than chimera – more prone to the weight of stress of being a supernatural without a pack. Ever since being back, Theo has done nothing but support Liam’s choices no matter how dumb they seemed._

_It was cruel, to relive his sins in his dreams only to wake up to a reality that demanded he lived with the weight of those mistakes every waking hour._

_He knows that feeling all too well. He hasn’t quite shaken off his nightmares of almost killing Scott either._

_So through these nights, Liam just stumbles out of bed to lie beside Theo until the chimera calms down. The first time it happened, Theo almost clawed Liam’s face off, but Liam didn’t back off, knowing that a good hold would be an anchoring feeling for someone waking from a nightmare – he knows the feeling when Theo did it for him first. When Theo shook off his nightmare and calmed down, Liam asked him if he was alright. Theo, predictably, offered his silence as an answer, and so Liam went back to his bed, lulling himself back to sleep._

_Tonight was no different. Liam got out of bed and lied down beside Theo, hushing him and whispering soft assurances in his ear, and after a few minutes of Theo’s whimpers growing louder into choked screams, Liam’s arms around the chimera, Theo did wake up, panting and sweaty._

_“Shit.” Liam could feel the frustration from Theo._

_“You’re okay. And besides, you’ve seen me waking up from nightmares. Nothing to be embarrassed about if you take that in consideration.”_

_“Offering yourself open to be insulted isn’t really appealing to me at the moment Liam. Christ.”_

_“You okay?”_

_“I’m fine.”_

_Liam sat up from where he had lain beside Theo, resting his chin on his knee. He looked at Theo who had turned on his back, unfocused eyes on the blank ceiling._

_“Wanna talk about it?”_

_“I had a nightmare about my sister ripping my heart out repeatedly in different variations. There’s nothing to talk about.”_

_“It doesn’t have to be about the nightmare you know. We could talk about other things.”_

_“Like?”_

_“You know. Hobbies and stuff. Childhood memories. Stuff like that.”_

_“My hobbies are trying to survive one day to the next, and my childhood memories include experimenting on the supernatural. Is that what you want to talk about?”_

_Liam felt a spike of irritation well up inside him. God, Theo made it so_ difficult _to be nice. “Forget I asked then,” he snapped. Liam got up and went back to his bed, drawing his covers over him like it would shut Theo out._

_For a moment it was completely silent, only the two boys’ breathing the only thing audible, until a loud growl ripped from Liam’s side of the room._

_Liam heard Theo snuff out an amused snort, and he was ready to fire back a retort when he heard Theo sit up and say “Since we’re obviously awake now and one of us is_ clearly _hungry, think we can grab some food?”_

_“We’ll wake up the house if we go down in the kitchen,” Liam grumbled, “besides, the only thing in there is just junk food and those protein bars I stocked up on last week.”_

_“...I have a place in mind.”_

_“Really? At –” Liam glanced at the time shown on the clock by his table “ – 2 in the morning?”_

_Theo raised an eyebrow. “Do you want to eat or do you want to continue angsting in bed?”_

_“Shut up,” Liam replied reflexively, getting out of bed and facing Theo, “we’re taking your truck. I don’t want to waste gas on my car.”_

_A few minutes later and Liam found himself in a cozy booth in one of the oldest areas of Beacon Hills._

_The diner Theo took them to looked like it was straight out of an old movie – only less pristine and a lot more worn down. The place was clean though, the scent of old floor and grease and oil mixing into the place’s ambience, giving Liam the feeling like it was one of those places you’d run into a biker gang eating by the stools at the counter, or having a distressed-looking waitress serving them their food._

_It was the kind of place that made Liam feel like he was running away on the road, the late night/early morning giving the place that air like time had stopped, like it hadn’t quite decided whether it was yesterday or tomorrow already, and resided in the present that made it feel like anything crazy could happen._

_Theo shuffled him towards a booth near the middle of the diner, close enough to the door, but far enough for them to be easily spotted if someone they knew walked in at any time. Liam roamed his eyes all over place, taking in every curious sight and scent as Theo waved over at the waitress that had just come out of the kitchen._

_“Oh, hey Robert! You’re here again! And with a friend this time, too.”_

_Liam looked over at the waitress that approached them. She was petite brunette, older than them by only a few years – a college girl, Liam guessed – and she wore standard khaki pants and a faded polo shirt with a nametag that read “BETHANY”. She didn’t look like the distressed woman with an equally tragic backstory that Liam expected of a late night diner waitress, but seeing someone young working this hour was interesting enough._

_“Yeah. Two of my usual please.”_

_“Alright. I’ll be back with the coffee in a bit.”_

_After the girl sauntered away towards behind the counter where the coffee machine was set up, Liam stared at Theo and raised an eyebrow._

_“Robert?”_

_“I stumbled across this diner a few months ago. I was looking for a place to stop for the night other than my truck. I stayed here and worked some shifts sometimes when I could for money. Bethany’s parents own the place.”_

_“That doesn’t explain why she called you Robert.”_

_“She asked for my name the first night I slept in one of their empty booths, and I didn’t give her my real name. I told her my name was Robert, so I’m Robert.”_

_“Why Robert?”_

_“...Does it matter? Anyways, in this diner, I’m not Theo Raeken. I’m Robert, the semi-homeless good-looking guy that sometimes works the late shifts with Bethany.”_

_“Just Robert? Not even a last name?”_

_This question, apparently, was enough to earn an amused chuckle from Theo. “No. Just Robert.”_

_A beat later and Bethany had returned to their table, a tray with two cups of coffee and a small mountain of sugar and creamer packets. “It’s been a while since you’ve crashed here, Rob. My parents were getting worried. You okay?”_

_Theo threw Liam a brief glance before smiling at the waitress. “Yeah, don’t worry. I’m fine. I crash at this guy’s place sometimes at the moment.”_

_“Oh, that’s nice! You’re Robert’s friend, I take it? What’s your name, stranger?”_

_Liam opened his mouth to answer. “I’m Li –”_

_– and stopped. Liam paused, and thought about how Theo wasn’t Theo in this diner. In this place, at this time, Theo was someone else. To Bethany, Theo was Robert, a strange guy who didn’t have a decent place to sleep in, who apparently served shifts at the diner when he felt like it for extra cash._

_So if Theo could be a different person for a different time and place, why can’t he?_

_“Li. My name’s Li.”_

_Bethany tilted her head to the side in confusion. “Li? Uh...you don’t, um...look Chinese.”_

_There was a beat of silence before Theo snorted._

_“Wow, Bethany. Rude.”_

_Bethany’s eyes widened in embarrassment. “Oh my God I am so, so, so sorry! I didn’t – I meant – I didn’t mean –”_

_“It’s fine!” Liam waved his hands frantically in front of him, trying to assure the flustered waitress, “I’m not Chinese. My parents just, uh, liked Bruce Lee. Uh, a lot. So they sort of gave me a Chinese-sounding name.”_

_“Oh,” Bethany sighed. “Well, nice to meet you, Li. I’ll be back with your order in a few minutes, okay?”_

_“Thanks, Bethany,” Theo chuckled._

_When Bethany disappeared past the kitchen doors, Theo stared at Liam and smirked._

_“Li? Really Liam? Real creative for a fake name.”_

_“Shut up. It was a last minute decision.”_

_“Why did you even use a fake name?”_

_“Does it matter?” Liam asked lightly, not wanting to share his reason with Theo at the moment._

_“But Bruce Lee? Really? C’mon.”_

_“That was Mason. He liked action movies a whole lot when we were younger. Looking back on it, I guess he liked watching them for a different reason than most boys do.”_

_“It was the shirtless fighting scenes, wasn’t it?”_

_Liam was surprised at the laugh that escaped him. He saw a soft smile that grace Theo’s lips before it disappeared into his trademark smirk._

_When Bethany came back with a tray of pancakes, eggs, bacon, and chicken wings, Liam and Theo had grown equally hungry that they didn’t talk to each other for the next ten minutes, only focusing on the food before them and practically inhaling coffee, asking Bethany for refills of caffeine and water._

_For the next hour they stayed, Liam told Theo about him and Mason when they were younger; about Mason being there for Liam when he was diagnosed with IED, and him being present for Mason when he came out to his parents. He told Theo of the incident that got him expelled from his last school, and about those first rough months of being a new member of Scott’s pack._

_In turn, Theo opened up about his limited memories as a child before going with the Dread Doctors. He told Liam of being friends with Scott and Stiles, Star Wars marathons with them, Halloween and school, learning how to ride a skateboard, and about the very limited memories he has of his sister._

_“I was pretty young. I don’t remember much of her at this point really. I guess she must’ve really adored me to find herself deep in the forest looking for her brother. Didn’t end well for her, as you might have heard.”_

_Liam didn’t know how to reply to that._

_“I guess that’s what makes the nightmares all the more disturbing. I didn’t really know my sister that well to tell her apart from what she was in my nightmares from what she was actually like.”_

_“Your childhood really sucks,” Liam blurted._

_Theo narrowed his eyes at the beta. “If that’s your form of consolation, I should have stuck to silence then.”_

_“No,” Liam shook his head, “I didn’t mean it as a bad thing, though it was pretty bad what happened to you. I guess what I was implying was that you dwell too much on it. Your past, I mean, the part about the Dread Doctors.”_

_“I think with a past like mine, it’s a little hard to get past that, what with the murders and all.” Theo glared at Liam, but it wasn’t a heated glare. Liam knew he chose his words carelessly, and to be honest, he didn’t really know how to talk to someone with a rough past like Theo without sounding insensitive. So he tried going at it at a different angle._

_“When I have nightmares of me killing Scott, I usually try to picture the good memories I have with him to drive the negative thoughts away. I’m not saying that you do the same, that you forget your past so you could be happy in the present, because we both know that people like us don’t just... move on from our mistakes like that. We can’t forget. We shouldn’t.”_

_Theo had grown silent by then._

_“We’re never going to forget about the mistakes we made, and we’ll probably live the rest of our lives having nightmares of the things we did when we were too young and dumb to know any better, but we move forward anyway. Nothing is ever certain, but we have to keep faith anyway.”_

_“Faith in what?” Theo asked._

_“That life gets better.”_

_Theo stared at his plate absently, filled with leftover maple syrup amongst chicken wing bones. Liam hated how that last bit about faith sounded like something a shrink would say – his shrink for IED, to be exact – but he didn’t know what else to say to reassure Theo. Most nights when he felt helpless and alone without Scott or the other members of the pack, he couldn’t even put himself at ease from his anxieties._

_Faith that it gets better sounds like a tacky philosophy, but it’s one the Liam holds on to anyway._

_Theo grabbed his half-empty cup of coffee, one on its third refill, and raised it up. Liam looked at Theo who was wearing a smirk, but he could tell it was forced, and Theo’s smirk looked more like a grimace than an actual sneer. Liam wondered if Theo was capable of just plain smiling._

_“To faith then. Cheers Li.”_

_Liam raised his own cup and bumped Theo’s cup with a soft clink, and felt himself smile at the ridiculousness of tonight. To his surprise, Theo mirrored his smile, a genuine one, and Liam couldn’t help but stare and think, God, I hope this night lasts just a little bit longer._

_“Cheers, Robert.”_

~

The diner they frequented in their original universe didn’t exist in their current one.

Liam walked around the block to see the familiar huge windows of Bethany’s family’s diner, but all he saw were boarded up buildings and dusty sidewalks. Theo leaned back on post by the corner, holding up a rusty street sign that had long ago faded to be undecipherable, and Liam trudged back to him looking dejected.

By then it was already 7 in the morning, having jogged their way to this part of town. Liam threw Theo the cursory glance that silently asked if the chimera was okay, to which Theo responded with either a nod or an eye roll.

Liam slumped by the curb next to Theo’s feet and groaned, throwing his head back with a scrunched face. “They’re not here.”

“I could see that, dumbass. Now what?”

“Hey!”

Liam and Theo turned around and saw a familiar face jogging in their direction. Danny waved enthusiastically as he slowed to a stop a few feet from them, all smiles and glistening sweat.

“Liam and Theo, right? What are you guys doing in this part of town?”

“We could ask you the same thing,” Theo replied, “in our universe there was an old diner here that me and Liam went to eat at sometimes. It isn’t here in this universe, we found out.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Danny intoned, sounding genuinely sorry, “if it helps, I know a good diner nearby. It’s the one I always eat breakfast at after my morning run around these parts.”

Liam shot to his feet and beamed at Danny. “Really? Will you take us there?”

Danny laughed, showing off his dimples. “Sure. Care to join me?”

Even though it was supposed to be a workout, keeping pace with Danny’s run was easy, thanks to their werewolf stamina. Theo lagged behind at times before quickly catching up, to which he simply said “minor pain, nothing to worry” to Liam’s inquiring looks. Danny took them on a five-minute route before they slowed down near an old establishment near the center of what used to have been a busy commercial strip in its day. A few people milled around the streets, some of them even in the same jogger’s attire that Danny sported.

Danny slowed down to a leisurely walk and beckoned the two to the old building, which had an actual wood door with intricate details carved on its surface.

Liam heard the overhead bell ring as they entered, and upon stepping inside, Liam was assaulted by the rich scent of coffee. The whole place smelled like black coffee and greasy food, but also tinged with the rich scent of freshly baked bread and tangy scent of alcohol. The floor was a checkered black-and-white pattern, chipped in multiple places. It had a similar counter set up like the diner he knew, with a huge shelf containing alcohol behind it, showcasing its impressive display of liquor and wine. Instead of the familiar faux-leather booths he came to expect, the dining area was a mix of couches and sofa chairs, low center tables, and mix and match of tables for groups of four, some of the furniture not even matching. By the counter, an old player churned out smooth jazz background music, giving the place a cozy feeling.

“What is this place?” Liam asked.

“I have no idea what this place is supposed to be,” Theo voiced.

Danny smiled as he lead them to a corner, and promptly sat at a sofa chair. He gestured for Liam and Theo to take the two-seater across from him, and the two sat down, with Liam still taking in the interior’s quirkiness.

“My dad said this used to be a diner back in the day, but because business moved elsewhere in Beacon Hills, this place lost most of its regular customers over time. The current owners couldn’t decide whether they wanted to turn this place into a bar-club or a coffee shop, so this is what happened,” Danny explained.

“So that’s why the place looks like crash between a diner, a coffee shop, and a bar. The place smells like it too,” Theo quipped.

“I think it’s nice,” Liam said, “it’s three places all at the same time.”

“Scott said the same thing,” Danny chuckled, “this became the pack’s default hang out place when we have something on our minds. Stiles was the one who introduced the place to us.”

Danny waved over by the counter to flag down a waitress by the bar. As the waitress approached, Liam’s eyes grew round in surprise.

“Bethany?”

“Huh? Uh, I’m sorry, do I know you?”

“It’s the nametag,” Theo drawled, “that _is_ your name right?”

The waitress, Bethany, laughed. “Yeah, that’s my name. So, what can I get you?”

“I’ll have my usual,” Danny smiled. Theo threw Liam a look that silently told him to not act weird, which Liam replied to with a glare.

“Waffles, bacon, and a cup of _cafe au lait_ then. And you guys?”

“We’ll have pancakes, bacon, and eggs,” Liam replied, “and uh, do you guys have chicken wings?”

Bethany threw them a surprised look, before smiling. “Yeah, we do actually, but it isn’t on the menu. We only offer to close friends. You guys friends with any of my folks?”

“Something like that,” Theo replied, voice soft. The waitress nodded at him and recited their order.

“So, two servings of pancakes, bacon, eggs, and chicken wings. Anything else?”

“Coffee, the regular kind. Just give us packets of creamer and sugar,” Theo replied.

“Alright. I’ll be back with your coffee in a bit. Just holler if you need anything else!”

Bethany walked back towards the counter after taking note of their orders, and Liam couldn’t help but let his eyes follow her. She looked exactly the same as he’d known her back in their universe, the only thing different is the red highlights in her brown hair. The same cheery voice and eyes crinkled in perpetual mirth.

“Is she somebody you know from your universe?” Danny asked.

“Yeah,” Theo replied.

“So, how’s your stay so far?” Danny asked.

“Busy,” Theo said a little drily, “We got into a fight with the Darach last night.”

“What?” Danny exclaimed.

“Don’t worry. We were Scott, Stiles, Allison, and Lydia at the time. We were fine.”

“For the most part,” Liam muttered under his breath, which Danny picked up on.

“What happened?”

“Theo got poisoned with wolfsbane. He’s cured now, so there’s that. But the Darach got her twelfth sacrifice, so she’s more powerful now,” Liam answered. Danny stared at Liam incredulously.

“You haven’t even been here two days and you’re already caught in life-or-death situations. I don’t know whether to pity you or be amazed. At least now we can confirm you really are part of the pack.”

“I’m sure that was meant to be reassuring, but if being part of this pack means almost dying every other night, I think I’ll pass,” Theo replied. Danny laughed again, showing off his dimples. By the corner of his eye, Liam saw Bethany put their coffee on a tray and make her way towards them.

From Danny’s pocket came a ringing sound, and the boy immediately fished out his phone and chuckled at what he saw.

“Ethan just texted. Apparently, he and Aiden heard from Lydia, who heard from Melissa, who heard from the Sheriff, that Scott was heavily scolded by Alpha Hale.”

“Are we in trouble?” Liam worried.

“I don’t think so.” Before Danny could say anything further, the phone rang again, this time in a different ringtone. Danny swiped at his screen and put his phone to his ear. “Hello?”

“Danny! Where are you right now? Finished your jog?” Liam heard the other line say.

“Yeah I did. I’m having breakfast at Sudarso’s diner. And guess who I’m having breakfast with now.”

“That hot jogger we were talking about approaching last week if we saw him again?”

“No! I’m with Liam and Theo right now! Turns out they were with Scott and the rest during the fight with the Darach last night.”

A few phone exchanges, a huge breakfast, and a commotion with the twins’ arrival later, Liam and Theo were convinced by Danny, Ethan, and Aiden to tell them all that went down last night. For the most part, Theo was silent, having been knocked unconscious for most of the fight, leaving Liam to tell them all the fight’s details.

It would the first time Theo would hear of last night’s events, but the chimera didn’t seem to mind hearing of Liam’s retelling along with their present company. Liam told them about Lydia feeling the urge to scream, rushing to the abandoned bank, encountering the fae, fighting the Darach, and eventually, losing the Darach in its escape.

“Damn, you got knocked out pretty early out of the fight, didn’t you?” Aiden surmised. Liam felt Theo tense from beside him, and the beta surreptitiously tapped his finger on his lap to the rhythm of his heartbeat to ground him.

“It was a good call though,” Danny replied, “Theo secured the sacrifice before Stiles got there. If the Darach completed the sacrifice before Stiles and Lydia arrived...”

“Then Scot and Allison would have been overwhelmed, and something worse could have happened,” Ethan finished.

“Huh. If you think of it that way, nice job then, Theo,” Aiden amended.

“Did you get any information about the fae, though?” Danny asked, “Lydia and Stiles haven’t finished translating Deaton’s numerous tomes on magical creatures, and the Argent beastiary doesn’t have any accounts on fae.”

“They’re magical creatures, they thrive on mana and the natural energy around them,” Theo began, “they’re different than supernatural creatures whose bodies are enhanced or morphed from what is considered humanly natural. Their powers come from the earth and what is beyond itself.”

“We already got the first part of what you said, but what was that about the last part?” Danny leaned in closer, phone in hand, already typing something out. Aiden and Ethan beside him just chuckled at Danny’s enthusiasm, while Liam stayed silent to listen.

“Werewolves get stronger with the full moon. Vampires drink blood for power, wendigos eat human flesh to stave off their hunger, and berserkers are mindless monsters that thrive on bloodlust. Creatures like them – like us – we have a defining source of power that can be seen, touched, or smelled. It’s different for magical creatures. Fae get their power from the earth or whatever element they have affinity to. Banshees can hear the Voices Beyond to foretell bad omens and deaths, and kitsunes are fox spirits that possess affinity with a specific element, and have assumed mortal form. Unlike supernaturals, they’re beings whose power comes from within themselves, without the aid of external factors like the moon or blood.”

“Are they really that different?” Aiden asked.

“Physically and biologically, supernatural creatures are more resilient and tougher, but when it comes to raw power itself, magical beings are tougher to beat.”

 “I see. Noted,” Danny mumbled absently, tapping away on his phone.

“That aside, what do you think last night means for the pack?” Ethan asked nobody in particular.

“You think Stiles’s plan would work?” Liam asked Theo.

“If Alpha Hale accepts the part about the two of us being part of the McCall pack, then the Darach’s attack on me last night would mean the pack has a claim on hunting the Darach,” Theo answered.

“But if she looks at the angle where we engaged the Darach in a fight directly, then we might have to chat with Deucalion,” Danny contradicted, “thankfully, you guys didn’t kill the Darach, or else we would be in a whole lot more trouble.”

“I’m surprised Deucalion’s pack didn’t turn up at the scene with them,” Aiden voiced.

“Scott and company managed to get there because Lydia was present. I don’t think Deucalion’s pack has a banshee,” Ethan said.

“Either way, the pack has to lay low for now,” Danny replied, “so in the mean time, does anybody want dessert?”

Ethan glanced at Danny wolfishly as Aiden laughed. “Yes, please.”

~

As Danny predicted, the McCall pack was ordered to lay low for the time being.

That same afternoon, the pack gathered at the McCall residence so Scott could relay what his meeting with Talia Hale last night was about. Scott told the Hale Alpha everything that transpired with the Darach, and although she was glad nobody died in the encounter, she was equally furious that none of them informed her of the Darach’s presence before engaging in a fight. Talia rounded on Lucinda Martin, who was also at the house last night, on not telling her about the Darach, to which the banshee replied in a somewhat placating tone.

_“Talia, the twelfth sacrifice was already a checkmate for her even before Scott and his friends arrived. There was no need to fuss. And I did tell you to expect news tonight. Why else would I voluntarily be here two nights in a row?”_

Scott told the pack that they were ordered not to engage in anything regarding the Darach unless they were asked to, which had Stiles sputtering about turning a blind eye to public safety in favor of pack laws.

“This is ridiculous! Do they expect us not to do anything when the Darach goes hunting for her last group of sacrifices? We are literally the only thing standing in the way of public safety and the supernatural!”

“Calm down, Stiles,” Lydia walked over and placed a hand on Stiles’s shoulder, “sit down. We can’t be reckless about this again. Theo almost died last night, we can’t have another almost-casualty again. This time, we do the smart thing.”

“Letting the adults handle everything?”

“No, by forming a coherent plan before charging blindly into a fight.”

“There’s one bit of good news though. I managed to convince Talia that Liam and Theo are part of our pack, and since last night was presented as an extraction mission for the victim’s body, the attack on Theo was accepted as our claim to hunt the Darach.”

Everybody stared at Scott at this bit of news, like they didn’t expect it at all. The only ones that didn’t look remotely surprised were Danny, Aiden, and Ethan, who had been with Liam and Theo at breakfast just hours earlier, as well as Isaac and Erica, who were at the Hale house last night for dinner with Laura.

“So we’re allowed to hunt, but also not allowed to hunt. Huh,” Allison huffed.

“So what do we do?” Boyd asked after a beat. Everybody looked at Scott for an answer, and the Alpha just smiled and shrugged.

“I still have remedials this week. And Danny has that benefit concert on Friday that I was also tasked helping with. I think we lay low for the week.”

Everybody heaved a collective sigh while Stiles groaned, like he was exasperated that they weren’t out hunting a murderous dark druid and having a normal week instead.

~

Theo woke up to the sound of something sizzling downstairs. For a moment, he felt disoriented, like something was wrong and out of place. It took him a few seconds to realize he was alone in bed in the Geyer’s master bedroom, where the usual scents of Liam’s room were absent. Theo wanted to smack himself for having thoughts that something was wrong because he couldn’t pick out Liam’s scent upon waking up.

He rationalized that maybe it was expected, since recently he and Liam were actual friends now. He heard footsteps and more sizzling coming from what Theo assumed was the kitchen, and swung his legs down the bed and out the room.

When he did find himself in the kitchen after some grumbling, he found Liam cooking by the stove, last night’s groceries already up for cooking. On the breakfast counter sat two plates of toast and eggs, which by the looks of the steam coming up, had just been served.

“I didn’t know you could cook.”

“I don’t. But Mason taught me how to fry an egg and bacon, which he says should be a skill anybody should know how to do by the age of 18.”

“Good guy, Mason. Wish he told you how to toast bread properly too. You’re toast is a little on the burnt side.”

Liam groaned. “Then just chip off the burned parts if you don’t like it. I wanted the toast crunchy.”

“Do we have butter at least?” Theo asked, making way for the fridge.

“Yeah, in the fridge, upper shelf,” Liam replied. Theo retrieved the butter where Liam told him it was located, just in time as the beta was transferring the bacon from the pan to their waiting plates by the counter.

The two of them sat on the stools by the counter beside each other, silently eating their breakfast.

“So what’s the plan for the day?” Theo asked.

“Lydia said we should get you proper clothes.” Theo raised an eyebrow at Liam. The beta sighed. “She says it’s obvious you’re raiding the closet of a middle-aged man with midlife crisis for clothes options.”

Theo looked down at what he was wearing. He was sporting a tie-dyed t-shirt in rainbow colors and a pair of shorts that stopped above his knees; it was one of the only comfortable clothes he could find to change into last night before going to sleep. Yesterday, changing clothes before the pack meeting at the McCall residence, he was in a loose button-up he found near the back of the closet, and he wore baggy grey pants.

Looking back on it, his clothes were probably the reason Jackson was smirking in his direction rather than the fact that he and Liam were late.

“Is it necessary? We don’t even know how long we’re staying here to buy myself clothes. And it’s not like we have money.”

“Lydia said she’d be willing to invest in your image during your stay here.”

“I haven’t heard of this. When exactly did you and Lydia talk about my clothes options?”

“She texted me last night.”

“Yeah, no. I think I’ll stick with what’s in the closet. Either that, or I’ll just look for something decent in yours.”

Liam sighed. “Theo, this is Lydia we’re talking about. She wasn’t suggesting you buy new clothes – it’s an order.” A ringing sound pinged from beside Liam, to which the beta fished his phone out and looked at his screen.

“Our phones work in this universe?”

“Apparently it does. Lydia just texted. She’s coming by in an hour with Allison.”

Theo stared at him. “Why.”

“I just told you. Clothes shopping.” Liam finished off his stack of toast and proceeded to devour his eggs and bacon, looking nonchalant.

~

The rest of the day was spent with Lydia and Allison at the mall, with the two girls dressing Theo, as well as Liam, in whatever clothes they fancied would suit the two. Allison dressed Liam in mostly smart casual wear, buying him several shirts and a blazer, as well as a new jacket and two new pairs of pants.

Theo, on the other hand, had a completely new wardrobe. Lydia splurge on Theo’s clothes, getting him shirts, pants, shoes, a hoodie, and on Theo’s suggestion, his signature denim jacket. By late afternoon, Liam and Theo’s arms hung limply beside them, both hands holding shopping bags full of their new clothes, while Lydia and Allison walked ahead of them, bubble teas in their hands as they strode in their own fashionable clothes.

Theo chuckled at Liam’s grumbling, having new clothes bought for him against his will. They sat at an empty table by the food court, the seats beside them occupied by numerous shopping bags. Lydia and Allison returned from a kiosk a few meters away, bearing food. They sat at empty seats the boys reserved for them; Allison beside Liam and Lydia beside Theo.

“Now, wasn’t that satisfying?” Lydia beamed.

“What, the last six hours of walking all around the mall buying clothes? Geez, I don’t know, let me think,” Liam grumbled.

Allison laughed. “You’re just like Scott the first time I took him out for new clothes.”

“Did you get him food too?” Liam asked, making a grab for the burgers that the huntress placed on the table.

“No, Stiles did. Surprisingly, Stiles doesn’t complain when we go out shopping for clothes.”

“What do you mean he doesn’t? He complains all the time! Don’t even get me started when it’s me, Stiles, _and Jackson_ together,” Lydia said, a little irately.

“Stiles and I have similar taste in clothes. You and Jackson, on the other hand, try too hard to dress him up like he stepped out of a Vogue magazine.”

“He has the height and cheekbones for it.”

“I do think the number of clothes you got me was too excessive,” Theo voiced.

“I got you enough clothes so that you don’t have to wear those horrendously baggy clothes you came in yesterday. Never again,” Lydia huffed.

“Besides, I wanted to hang out with you guys,” Allison admitted, “I wanted to know more about you guys and where you came from.”

“Didn’t Stiles and Lydia already tell you the story?” Liam asked, apprehensive.

Allison glanced at Lydia, who was shooting her a warning look. “They did. But I’m curious. You don’t seem familiar with who I am despite knowing my name.”

“He didn’t meet you. Both of us didn’t. You were dead by the time Liam joined the pack and I came along,” Theo said quietly.

Allison, Lydia, and Liam stared at Theo, surprised at the chimera’s blunt confession. Surprisingly, Allison recovered first. “I was dead?”

“Yeah. You died saving the pack. You died a hero,” Theo replied.

“How?” Lydia asked, her voice breathless.

Theo shook his head. “I don’t know the details, but our Lydia and Stiles and blame themselves for it. I don’t know why.” Liam didn’t miss the obvious skips in Theo’s heartbeat when he said he didn’t know the details or why.

A lie.

Allison let out a shaky laugh. “Now I feel bad for asking at all.”

“They did move on though, but they never forgot about you. I’d hear all about you from Scott on some days we just hung out. Even then, you sounded like a badass,” Liam smiled.

Lydia took the cue in the change of the topic’s direction in stride. “Well, Allison has always been effortlessly badass.”

“You and Scott are together?” Theo asked all of a sudden, abruptly changing the topic altogether.

Lydia’s smile drew into a shrewd curve, and Liam could already hear the “it’s complicated” even before anybody’s said it yet.

“We’re on a break. We decided that we needed to focus on graduating high school and the pack first before we start anything,” the huntress replied.

“Before you _continue_ anything, you mean,” Lydia said airily.

“We are responsible adults that need to make responsible decisions,” Allison said firmly. “We can’t just dive right into this carelessly.”

“Because you’re a hunter and Scott’s a werewolf?” Liam asked, sipping on his bubble tea.

“No! We’re over that! It’s just, a lot of things have happened, and we both realized we needed to figure things out before making any major life decisions.”

“That doesn’t stop you from mercilessly flirting with each other whenever you get the chance,” Lydia countered.

“And ‘major life decisions’? Allison, you’re part of a pack that protects the county. _Everything_ is a life decision,” Theo chimed in, smiling amusedly in her direction.

“That’s different, though. I mean, it’s their personal lives. Besides, I kind of get it, wanting to figure things out first where you stand before making huge, life-changing decisions,” Liam replied. He looked at Theo for the brief second and stared at his fries. Liam has never been one for thinking things over excessively – that was more of Mason and Corey’s thing – but recently, he’s found himself doing exactly that for Theo.

Sure, they’re friends, but sometimes Liam gets the feeling that the way he feels for Theo is so much more different from the kind of affection he feels for Mason, or the type of romance he felt for Hayden. There’s a depth in his feelings that makes him question if he’s just imagining it or if there’s something actually there, and with all the shit that they face every other month, there isn’t much time to reflect on it.

So maybe he likes him, maybe he doesn’t. All he knows is that he wants Theo in his life, and that the past months of their slow-building friendship have made him realize that they do fit each other quite well.

He’s just not sure if it’s as best friends or maybe something more. Not that Liam would want more if it’s only a best-friends-thing, but if it was _more_ , then he wouldn’t mind. At all. At least, he thinks so. Maybe they should just remain friends. Friends who are close. Really close. Are they actually more now and Liam was just slow to process things? Where does he even stand with Theo anyways? Is he overthinking this?

He needs to stop overthinking things.

“It’s complicated,” Liam simply said.

Allison threw her hands up in the air and looked pointedly at Lydia. “See? Liam gets it.”

“I don’t know. Scott’s never going to be available forever. You never know when somebody else might snatch that puppy up,” Lydia waved her off.

“Please, like who?”

“Malia,” Theo drawled.

“What do you mean?” Allison narrowed her eyes at Theo, while Lydia gasped and cackled in the background.

“Oh. My. God. No. Tell me it isn’t so,” Lydia howled in glee.

“Very much so,” Theo confirmed, trying to sound solemn but his smirk gave him away.

“Or maybe Kira. She didn’t go off with the Skinwalkers in this universe. Besides, Mr. Yukimura likes Scott, so there’s that, too,” Liam recounted. Theo and Lydia laughed at Allison’s scandalized expression, throwing Liam a look of betrayal.

“Excuse me, Malia? _Kira?_ ”

Liam stuffed his mouth with fries and burgers to occupy himself from talking, as he listened on to Lydia and Allison bicker about the huntress’ life choices and love life, Theo providing snarky commentary to fuel the banter. He openly looked at the three of them and their surroundings, sunny and happy and hanging out like nothing bad ever happens in this town.

And Liam thinks, yeah, this isn’t his universe, but he likes this, too, and out of all the parallel universes he and Theo could’ve landed in, he’s glad it was this one.


	8. Part 7: Benefit Concert

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Liam and Theo bond with Scott. Involves breakfasts, awkward assumptions, and a benefit concert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OH MY GOD I AM SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE. I was so swamped with work recently and then I got sick, and I was just so busy recently that I couldn’t finish this chapter sooner. Don’t worry, I’m not dropping this story and I’m determined to finish this! Also, one of the reasons why this one took so long to write was working the plot to progress, as I feel that something major should happen by this point now. Hahahaha. Anyways, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! :D

For the next few days, much of Liam and Theo’s time passed relatively uneventful.

On Tuesday, the day after their shopping with Allison and Lydia, they were invited to the Yukimura residence for lunch, where Noshiko and Mr. Yukimura grilled the two about the universe they were from. Noshiko had been wary of them before, but Liam’s sincerity and Theo’s newfound honesty towards people managed to convince her of their status as a non-threat. Mr. Yukimura on the other hand, was more interested in the differences between the two’s universe and theirs.

Kira was both ecstatic to have them for dinner and embarrassed of her parents’ reaction towards them, to which Liam assured Kira that it was alright, since he was sort of used to it from his Scott’s stories of his frequent meals at the Yukimura residence. When Kira asked why his Scott had frequent meals at their house, Theo kicked Liam by his ankles and covered for him, saying they were good friends. Liam glared at Theo, but said no more.

That same day, they spent their afternoons apart, Liam with Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Malia, and Jackson while Theo was with Stiles and Derek. Liam trained by the courses the Hale family devised for werewolves, and the unique training course was a fresh and new learning experience, since his Scott never did give him formal werewolf training like this one. Theo was picked up by Derek when the older man saw the chimera wandering the streets absently, and he was whisked to the loft to help Stiles decode Deaton’s tomes, where they spent the afternoon until evening translating runic text and Latin, eating pizza takeouts, and the three of them practicing close combat moves when they got bored of translation work.

Wednesday was spent lazily, Liam and Theo hanging out in the house in separate areas. Liam took his time reading the various books on history and human psychology that his dead parallel had in his book collection, while Theo spent the day in the kitchen, trying his hand at cooking simple stuff. The chimera was actually good at it, to which Liam says so to Theo, and Theo tried not to let his huge smile show too much.

Theo cooked some more on Thursday, and Liam went out in the morning for a jog. By noon, Liam was back in his room, playing video games and reading more books. Stiles and Allison dropped by past noon, and handed Theo more text to translate, and the two of them spent a good hour chatting with Liam and Theo about hunting methods, supernatural facts, and future plans to go out together, and going on their way past 2 in the afternoon. The rest of the day was spent in Liam’s room – Liam reading his books and Theo translating the texts Stiles gave him. They both forgot about dinner and fell asleep before midnight, Liam on his bed and Theo by the foot of the bed.

~

Looking at the files Danny had given them, Scott shook his head.

“None of these people are named Jennifer Blake.”

Stiles, Allison, Lydia, Derek, and Isaac shuffled papers amongst themselves, comparing information and stats between the profiles of people they had in their possession. Isaac, who sat directly across Scott, gave him a sympathetic smile.

“Maybe Danny hasn’t finished compiling the database. These are just the people who moved into Beacon Hills around the time the killings started. And we even have the new teachers’ records. One of them has to turn up suspicious,” Isaac assured Scott.

“Still, it’s amazing how many people move in to Beacon Hills. It’s like they don’t know of the shit that goes on around here every other month,” Stiles said, highlighting a sentence on the paper he was holding, “Anybody got a lead?”

“No,” Derek replied. Allison shook her head. Lydia sighed, breathing a frustrated “no” before rereading the files in her hand. Isaac looked at Scott and replied with “No leads.”

“What if it’s not a Jennifer Blake we’re looking for?” Lydia asked abruptly. Everyone’s gazes turned in her direction. “We’re a different universe from Liam and Theo’s. What if the cosmic variation applied to the Darach’s fake name?”

“That just means we’re stuck looking through these files again, just without the hint of a name,” Allison replied, “besides, the Council is looking into this as well aren’t they?”

“Not hard enough,” Derek replied, “Mom is busy delegating with Deucalion. The family is basically hunting the town these past few nights with Deucalion’s pack, making sure there aren’t any unexpected casualties.”

Scott groaned from where he sat, and Stiles threw him an amused look. “Maybe you should go for tonight, buddy. You’ve got that thing tomorrow for school right?”

“I do,” Scott mumbled, “which means it’s another day I’m _not_ with Liam and Theo.”

Everyone around Scott threw him amused looks and chuckles, realizing that everyone _except the Alpha_ has spent time with the two newcomers. Scott has spent the last few days hearing of everyone talk about Liam and Theo – God, even the normally stoic _Derek_ has already spent time with them.

“You don’t have lessons tomorrow,” Allison pointed out, “why not just invite them to help out at school for the concert?”

Scott’s expression brightened at Allison’s suggestion, while Lydia and Derek rolled their eyes at Scott’s hopelessness.

“That’s a great idea! I’ll hang out with them tomorrow, and I still get to help out at school!”

After the latest string of murders in Beacon Hills, the school has come up with a fundraiser to help the grieving families of the victims. This year (and everyone thinks how morbid it is that they do this kind of fundraiser _every year_ ) the Beacon Hills High School Orchestra club will be hosting it, conducting a concert at the gym. Since it was summer, the students who were attending makeup classes and summer practices were urged to help out, and the fundraiser committee encouraged everyone to pitch in with the help.

Which is why the idea of outsiders, such as those that aren’t students of the high school, helping with the concert’s preparation doesn’t sound too bad of an idea, Scott thought.

After he gathered his stuff, Scott left Derek’s loft and went on his way home, thinking of what to do with Liam and Theo tomorrow, while the rest of the pack continued analyzing profiles late into the night.

~

By midnight, only Derek and Stiles were the only ones left awake, with Lydia and Allison falling asleep by the couch and Isaac had retreated into his room less than an hour ago.

The emissary yawned and pushed the papers he was holding down on the table and rubbed his face, expelling a sigh. “Alright. I give. _Everybody_ is a suspect.”

“Everybody is also equally innocent until proven guilty,” Derek replied, “go to sleep Stiles.”

“Where am I going to sleep? The girls have overtaken your living room.”

Derek sighed. “You know you’re always allowed to use my bed.”

Stiles was thankful it was dark enough for Derek to not notice his flushed face, but he’s sure his heart skipping a beat was a giveaway anyway. “Derek, I told you, it’s fine. I’ll be okay if you drive me home.”

“You’ll just fall asleep in the car. Just take the bed like usual.”

 _Like usual._ Stiles didn’t really know how to feel about that. He breathed another loud sigh before giving in.

“Okay.”

“C’mon.”

Derek tossed his documents on the table as well, and sauntered over to the staircase. Stiles wasn’t far behind, following at a sedate pace with how tired he felt. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Derek was already shirtless, and Stiles couldn’t help but shut his eyes in an attempt to slow his heart rate.

Thank god for Argent training.

Stiles walked noiselessly towards Derek, sneaking up behind him touching the small of Derek’s back. The older man turned around and quirked an eyebrow at him, to which Stiles replied with a tired smile.

“You look a little too eager to get in me your bed tonight.”

Derek suddenly looked surprised before composing his face into his usual stoic mask, and sighing “I’m tired as well. I just want to sleep.”

“Alright.” Stiles shucked off his shoes and jacket, and thought twice about it before taking his shirt off as well. When he turned around, Derek was openly staring at him, and Stiles suddenly felt self conscious.

“Oh. Sorry. It’s just, the last time – ”

“It’s fine. Keep it off.”

Derek slid on his back on the bed and Stiles followed, his back facing Derek. Just like a few days ago, Derek’s arms snaked their way around him, and Stiles couldn’t help but hold his breath at the unexpected contact.

“Uh...Derek?”

“Go to sleep Stiles.”

Stiles’s heart may have been steady, but his mind was a mess.

Eventually, he did fall asleep – an hour later – and if he did so while snuggling deeper into Derek’s warmth, well, nobody but the two of them needed to know.

~

The sun cast soft rays of sunlight through the open windows of the bedroom, giving the room a warm glow. On the bed laid Liam, snoring loudly, having fallen asleep without finishing his book last night.

Liam woke up to a familiar ringtone on Friday morning. It was the ringtone he had set for Scott.

The beta sat up in bed and fished his phone from under his covers, from where he last left his phone. He swiped at the screen and pressed the phone to his ear, stifling a yawn in the process. The book he was reading from last night dropped to the floor. He absently picked it up, got out of bed, and placed it on his table, beside the numerous papers of texts that Theo got from Stiles yesterday.

“’ello?”

“Hey! Sorry, did I wake you up?” Scott’s voice filtered through the speakers. Liam looked at the clock by his table, which told him it was already 8 in the morning.

“It’s fine. About time I woke up anyway. Is something wrong?”

“No, not really. Students at school today were asked to help prepare for the benefit concert tonight, and we could really use some extra set of hands. Think you could come?”

Liam’s sleepy mood suddenly improved, and he guessed that after all this time, his bond with Scott was always going to be something he longed for, his original universe or not.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll be there! Are the rest coming too?”

“Well, I already know they have plans for today, so I only called you.”

“Oh, okay, I’ll be there. I’ll just get showered and dressed and I’ll be on my way.”

~

Half an hour later, Liam found himself entering the Beacon Hills High School auditorium. He easily spotted Scott, sitting by some monoblock chairs near the back of the room. Scott waved him over, a dimpled smile on his face. Liam walked towards him and got himself a chair to sit across his Alpha.

“Hey! I got us breakfast. Figured I could at least get this for you for helping me out,” Scott said, handing him a container filled with food. Liam took note of the warm container filled with mini pancakes, sausages, and bacon. Scott’s invitation this morning didn’t seem like an impulsive one at all.

Liam saw Scott pull out another container out of his bag, and looked around, questioning look on his face before asking him “Is Theo not with you?”

“Not this morning at least,” Liam remembered the note by the kitchen counter presumably left by the chimera earlier, saying he was gone for the morning after Malia banged in their door so he’d come to train with her, Isaac, Erica, Boyd, and Jackson. Along with the note, Theo left Liam an omelette for breakfast, still warm in the cling wrap the chimera used to cover the food. Liam ate the food left for him with gusto, quickly finishing before heading off to school.

“Oh. Where is he today?”

“Apparently, he’s off training with Isaac and the others this morning,” Liam pointed at the container of food that he supposes was for Theo. “You came prepared.”

Scott threw him a sheepish smile. “Everyone’s already got the chance to hang out with you guys except me. I’m the Alpha; I should’ve been the first one to make you feel welcome. Instead, I got stuck with school work while everyone else did fun stuff with you.”

“You don’t have to feel bad about it Scott,” Liam smiled, “it’s fine. I still see you as my Alpha.”

“Still, it’s unfair that everyone else has had their time with you and Theo,” Scott complained, “especially Theo. He’s basically me and Stiles’s childhood friend!”

“An alternate version of him, though.”

“But still Theo,” Scott countered.

“How was your Theo like? Back then, I mean,” Liam asked.

“Well, he was pretty much like me. Theo and I weren’t exactly part of the group of kids that liked playing rough in the park, with me having asthma and Theo being crazy shy. Stiles was the hyperactive one, and I guess because the three of us usually found ourselves alone when it was recess, we just stuck with each other. It was a lucky thing we mostly liked the same stuff as kids, like Star Wars.”

Liam smiled at the mention of Star Wars – his Theo liked Star Wars as well.

“Then when we were around ten, they found Theo’s body in the woods. And well, it’s just been me and Stiles ever since.”

Liam could smell the lingering scent of misery around Scott as he shared that last part. “It’s funny isn’t it? I mean, we were kids, it’s not like we had decades of shared history to feel this sad about it. But as a kid, I remembered being really happy hanging out with Stiles and Theo. It hurt when he was just gone.”

Scott took a deep breath and exhaled, dispelling lingering negative emotions he was feeling. Liam was impressed at how Scott could change moods so quickly – then again, his Scott was never good at compartmentalizing his emotions. This Scott was just very different from the one he knows.

“Now, it’s like I’m getting a new chance to be friends with him again. I bet your Scott was happy when Theo came back to Beacon Hills.”

And that – that right there – was something Liam did not expect from Scott. He was speechless. So Stiles hadn’t told them the real circumstances behind Theo’s return in their universe; the emissary had simply used Liam’s glossed-over version instead of the real story.

It was blindsiding, Liam realized, how his own Scott and Stiles barely tolerated Theo while this Scott and Stiles were so eager to rebuild a connection. Despite knowing his previous villainy, Stiles was so willing to spend time with Theo, giving him work and genuinely willing to be around him. And if Stiles’ openness to Theo was any indication of Scott’s attitude when he learns the truth, then Scott would _still_ want to be friends with Theo.

“What’s wrong? You’re sad all of a sudden,” Scott prodded, sounding concerned. Liam shook his head out of his shock, before answering his Alpha honestly.

“You heard our story from Stiles right?” Liam asked.

“Yeah. Apparently, my alternate pack has been through some pretty rough things even before you came along.”

“Do you remember the part about the Dread Doctors?”

“I...do? Is that the part about the chimeras? Is that what this was about? We knew Theo was different since the first night we met, but Stiles already confirmed he was a chimera.”

Liam shook his head again. “It’s about the circumstances of Theo’s return. The chimera that integrated into the pack and almost broke us apart by betraying every one of us... that was Theo.”

“I know,” Scott replied simply, “it wasn’t hard to figure out. It was pretty obvious too, from how badly Stiles told that part of the story.”

“And you still want to spend time with Theo despite that?” Liam couldn’t understand how Scott could easily brush off Theo’s past crimes, especially when the Scott he knew wouldn’t let that slide.

“He’s obviously one of the good guys now, right?”

“Yeah, he is,” Liam’s quick reply came. He sighed as he struggled what more to say. He dipped his finger into the food Scott handed him, and took a bite of the mini pancakes. Scott did the same, eating his food and throwing his gaze across the gym, where they could hear a familiar shouting voice directing students where to place chairs and props.

“My Scott and Stiles don’t like Theo. As far as it goes, they probably wouldn’t care that much if he disappeared altogether. And my Malia _hates_ Theo. They can’t even be in the same room without the possibility of a fight going down.”

“That’s because he did all those bad things to your pack. They still mistrust him, probably because he doesn’t give them a reason to.”

“He did! He did try! He still does,” Liam replied heatedly, “they just...”

“It’s not like they want to hate him. It’s just that they don’t know how to trust him again after what he did. It hurt all of you, especially your Scott and Stiles, because Theo was this figure from their childhood that was familiar and safe, and then he betrayed them. All of you.”

“Stiles was already wary of Theo to begin with,” Liam confessed.

“Because he came at a convenient time, introduced himself as a werewolf, and integrated into your pack seamlessly. Of course Stiles would be suspicious – it’s his nature. Even our Stiles said so, without saying Theo’s name.”

“Despite that, you trust him to be in your pack?”

“It’s not like Theo has done us anything wrong, that was whole other universe,” Scott answered, “and I don’t mean to sound mean, but it looks like what happened back then in your universe doesn’t really affect us, as Lydia had put it. Well, that is essentially one of the main reasons.”

“One of the main reasons?”

“That it all happened in the past in a different universe. That Stiles and I know of him from our childhood, that he’s been good and helpful to the pack in meetings and working with Stiles, that he’s headstrong and willing to help in a fight, and that you trust him.”

“You trust him, because _I_ trust him?”

Scott sighed, finishing off his food, “It’s the pack bond. Stiles explained that even though you were from another plane of reality, the pack bond between still holds. It’s because of that why everyone feels easy towards you despite being complete strangers less than a week ago.”

Not counting the morning of Stiles’s interrogation, Liam did note the easy way how Stiles and Allison moved around them, going shopping and willingly engaging in activities with them the past week. Because of her nature as a hunter, Allison is naturally wary of signs of danger, and Stiles is already a pessimist _and_ cautious as well.

“The bond you have with your Scott, and well, me, must be pretty strong if even Stiles and Allison are willing to trust you the way they have,” the alpha finished.

Liam thought of how much he has grown to depend on Scott throughout high school, and from how being a problematic student with anger issues, he had become somewhat more balanced as a person, despite being a werewolf. He knows Mason has his back, and for a time Hayden as well, but Scott was his foundation – like the older brother he never had, always there for him, ready to listen and assure him of his insecurities.

Liam has seen that this universe’s Scott was a lot more dynamic than his, but fundamentally, they were the same.

The beta finished off the breakfast Scott gave him and handed him back the container. “Yeah. I... Scott’s really important to me.”

Scott smiled, an expression of genuine happiness on his face. “I’m glad to hear that.”

“MCCALL! LESS GOSSIPING AND MORE HEAVY LIFTING! GET YOUR ASSES BACK ON THE FLOOR TO HELP!”

Liam looked over by the stage where the voice was coming from, where he saw Coach Finstock standing with a megaphone. He looked more dressed up than his usual getup – he had slacks and a button up, and actual black leather shoes. His hair looked tidier than usual, and his always present whistle was nowhere in sight.

“Why is Coach Finstock dressed up for today?” Liam asked.

“Mr. Finstock is in charge of the fundraiser committee. And coach?” Scott asked him.

“He was our lacrosse team’s coach. He isn’t here?”

“No,” Scott answered, “he’s just our Economics teacher.”

“MCCALL!”

~

Theo felt a little lost.

The last week had been the most bizarre experience he’s ever had, and he’s not quite sure if it’s real. Granted, his _entire life_ is bizarre, but this one takes the cake, Theo thinks.

In the last six days he’s spent in another universe, he’s done so many things with other people that he didn’t think he would ever see himself doing.

Shopping with Lydia and Allison.  Meals with pack members. Pack meetings. Working with Stiles. Hanging out with the other werewolves.

Openly being around Liam in daylight, without anyone seeing anything wrong with it.

It was as if Theo was living the life he could’ve had if he didn’t choose to join the Dread Doctors all those years ago, and even though he’s accepted all the regrets that has come with him all through these years, being shown what could have been his life if only he made better choices – that, that unexpectedly leaves a hollow feeling in his heart.

His heart, which wasn’t even his.

So he lets Liam take care of him, they get breakfast together, he spends time with the other pack members, train, work, and generally hang out. He learns to cook – out of the things he could’ve found himself doing, _cooking_ was the last thing he thought he’d do.

But he does.

And when Liam told him he was good, he had to stop himself from showing the immediate childish smile on his face, and tried to hide behind a smug look. Liam ate everything he made, and in the short time he’s spent in this universe amidst the chaos, he couldn’t help but think _“I kind of wish this was real_.”

And Theo can’t help but think how this almost normal pace of life is the strangest thing that’s ever happened to him recently – no animal attacks, no hunters, no sleeping in beat up trucks, and no being dragged down to hell by a _kitsune_ sword.

Theo has lived most of his life knowing he was different – _special_ even – that the last thing he expected to feel was normal and human. As the days rolled on, he couldn’t help the tiny part of him wish they could stay.

And that thought brings Theo’s mood down, because deep down, he knew Liam wouldn’t want to stay. No matter how kind or strong or understanding this universe’s Scott is, he could never replace the original Scott that made Liam his beta. This entire universe would be a break – an escape – from the shit Beacon Hills they’ve lived all their lives in, but ultimately, Liam would choose it over this happy normal one where everyone is happy and alive and nothing hurt.

Theo wants to believe he could have this – this normal, almost easy life – but maybe, deep down, a part of him knows he wouldn’t want to stay here either. After everything he’s done, a part of him still feels the weight of the guilt of all the lives he’s laid waste to, telling him he doesn’t deserve something as nice as this.

This universe would be his escape – he’d allow himself that. But what comes after, if he ever returns to his original universe or not, he’s not so sure.

~

Theo walked leisurely down the streets of Beacon Hills, openly letting his eyes roam across the many differences in his original universe and this one. There were a lot of very minute differences, and a few big ones.

One of the big changes was the tunnel network that ran underneath the county.

Unlike the dirty underground chambers he was used to with the Doctors, the Hale family, along with other supernaturals, used the underground tunnel network as a means of travel across the county without being seen above ground.

It’s also where one of the McCall pack’s training grounds were located.

Theo recalls being woken up by soft footsteps on the floor in Liam’s room earlier this morning, where he stirred from sleep and sat up to see the intruder.

“Get up Theo. It’s your turn to play with us today.”

Theo rubbed his eyes and saw Malia standing before him, her long hair tied in a braid. This was one sight the chimera had a hard time adjusting to: the Malia he knew was hostile towards him, quick-tempered, and had short hair. This Malia kept her long hair, and was a friendly sort of brash towards him instead of open hostility.

Theo saw another mop of hair pop up by the window, and a second later, Erica was in the room as well.

“Better get moving Theo, we don’t like to wait.”

“Well you’re going to have to wait. I’d rather have breakfast first before engaging in a catfight with you ladies.”

“Make that a breakfast for three then. We’ll join you,” Erica said breezily, and sauntered out the room, Malia in tow, to where Theo presumed was downstairs in the kitchen. He did end up making breakfast for himself and the girls – simple omelettes, since Theo was being rushed – and set aside one for Liam before leaving a note and going with the girls.

That was how Theo spent the entire morning: training in the tunnels with Malia, Erica, Isaac, Boyd, and Jackson. Kira had made an appearance as well, but didn’t stay too long. She went her way shortly before Theo excused himself, saying he needed lunch.

Jackson threw him an arched look.

“Sure it’s lunch you’re looking for?”

Theo arched an eyebrow at him. “I’m hungry. I barely got breakfast before those two,” he said, pointing at Malia and Erica, “got me out of the house to train with you guys.”

Jackson shrugged, waving him off in a dismissive gesture, and Theo rolled his eyes as he made his way back to the streets above.

Although it wasn’t the first time, Theo found the experience of roaming Beacon Hills in broad daylight to be different than before. In the past, he was only free to roam the daylight because of he hadn’t betrayed Scott’s pack yet, and after the series of unfortunate events where he failed, needless to say, he wasn’t able to walk under the sun so freely like this again, not until the end of the Hunter War.

Theo couldn’t help but recall the many times he accidentally ran into Liam at a gas station or a dollar store during the day, and later on, the many other times they did plan to meet. On good days, they’d play lacrosse on the field in secret, or maybe just run in the forest, goading each other on who could do things better. On the rare rainy day, Liam would drive up and find him at an old gas station where Theo would wait out the rain, and they’d drink terrible coffee from the convenience store nearby, and they’d make small talk and long conversations.

When he thought of it like that, Theo supposed it didn’t really matter if he was back in his original universe or this one – having Liam beside him made it feel worthwhile to be out in the open again, with no hidden agenda or plans to destroy someone.

“Hey! Theo!”

The chimera turned around to the source of the voice, and sure enough, right across the street by the intersection, was Scott McCall, his hands in a loose circle over his mouth to call his attention. Theo waved at Scott, and after the stoplight turned green for the pedestrians, the young Alpha sprinted his way over to him.

“Hey! I thought you were with the others?” Theo didn’t bother asking how Scott knew – he was the Alpha, so somebody probably updated him of his whereabouts.

“I was. I split since I was hungry and they wanted to train more. Don’t you have school?” Theo parroted back.

“Nah. Tonight’s the benefit concert, so we all got let out early after helping set up the gym.”

“Oh.”

“Liam helped out this morning. I thought you would both be there.”

“Should’ve checked in with Malia and Erica before they climbed up Liam’s window and dragged me off to train then.”

“You slept in Liam’s room?”

“I fell asleep on the floor, helping with those texts that Allison and Stiles dropped off yesterday.”

“Oh. Right. Of course. Well, how was training?”

“Good,” Theo replied, “where’s Liam?”

“I was supposed to have lunch with him before Stiles and Derek showed up. Now he’s with them, and I’m here. So,” Scott turned expectantly to Theo, “wanna grab lunch with me?”

Now Theo though _this_ was probably one of the stranger things that’s happened today, other than the fact that Kira knew how to use nun chucks in training earlier. The Scott he knew would never even think of sharing a meal with someone that tried to kill him, much less someone who turned his beta against him.

But then again, this was a different time, in a different universe with a different Scott, and Theo thought, hey, why not?

“All right.”

“Cool.”

~

“This place still exists?” Theo asked incredulously.

“Why? It doesn’t anymore in your universe?” Scott asked.

“This whole _mall_ isn’t even open anymore in our universe,” Theo answered.

“Well, it’s still open here, so I guess that’s that. Here, this one’s yours.”

The mall that Scott took Theo out to lunch was called the Lighthouse Mall. It was a strip mall that tried to look like a building you could find by the beach, the complex’s open plan architecture emulating a beach house and shacks along the boulevard kind of vibe. The mall was nowhere near a beach, nor did it have a structure resembling a lighthouse, so even as a kid, Theo remembered wondering how the mall got such a name with its ridiculous fake seaside image.

Scott handed Theo a chocolate crepe, the hot fudge sauce slowly trickling down the side. Theo could vaguely recall a young memory of him having this: he was young, maybe around 8 or 9, and he, Scott, and Stiles were paraded around the mall with Claudia Stilinski in tow, where she’d buy the boys their snacks after school. They usually had crepes at the sweets shop that was near the mall’s open courtyard back then: Theo would get chocolate, Scott would get strawberry, and Stiles would always get whatever flavour he fancied that day, but always got his crepes with wafer sticks.

“Did you really just take me out to crepes for lunch?” Theo asked Scott, raising an eyebrow.

“To begin with, this was your idea. Well, when we were kids anyways,” Scott replied, taking a bite out his strawberry crepe. “I thought I’d honor the memory.”

Theo’s face scrunched in surprise. “My idea? Really?”

“Yeah,” Scott continued, “I remember you said something about the sugar during lunch made sure we had energy for the rest of the day, and Stiles bugged his mom to buy us crepes for lunch this one time for a whole week but didn’t budge.”

“Huh,” Theo replied. He doesn’t remember anything like that ever happening, but that could either be because he simply couldn’t recall that young memory, or it was something that only happened with this universe’s Scott, Stiles, and Theo.

The two of them walked over the expansive open courtyard of the mall and found vacant seats to settle down, and as Theo was finishing his crepe, Scott turned in his direction with an excited glint in his eyes.

“So, Theo,” Scott began, “how are you?”

Theo couldn’t even begin to describe how downright _disturbing_ it felt to him how Scott sounded so genuinely interested in him – and in a friendly manner, too, rather than the wary manner he was used to – that he unconsciously leaned a bit away from Scott. The little movement didn’t miss the Alpha’s attention, and Scott’s smile faltered a little at how wary Theo instantly acted at a simple question.

“I’m fine. Thanks for asking,” Theo replied, “you?”

“I’m great! Well, other than the school thing, well, yeah, awesome,” Theo could see Scott cringe at himself with how overeager he handled himself, and sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Scott began again, “it’s just, I never actually thought I’d see you again.”

Theo could understand that at least. He never thought Scott would ever treat him anything close to a friend again, not since before he betrayed his Scott the first time. And it must’ve held the same for Scott, who never in his life thought he’d see his dead childhood friend again.

“I get that,” Theo replied, “I guess it’s just strange to see you acting actually happy to see me.”

“I heard from Liam you were on bad terms with your pack.”

“Ha,” Theo snorted, “I’m not even _in_ the pack. Sure they talk to me, but if you’re asking if there was ever an invitation for me to be part of the pack, then no, there wasn’t.”

“Liam treats you like you’re pack,” Scott pointed out.

Theo hesitated before answering. He didn’t know where he stood with Liam – _was_ he pack, or were they just friends brought together by weird circumstances?

“Me and Liam are...good,” Theo began explaining slowly, “after the Hunter War and everybody went to college, it was just me and Liam and his friends left in Beacon Hills. Mason and Corey had their own thing, and me and Liam kept bumping into each other, so I guess we just... grew close. As friends.”

“Close enough to be pack?” Scott asked.

Theo didn’t want to answer, so he remained silent. Scott sighed.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to pry too deeply. But I meant what I said a few days ago: you and Liam are part of our pack. And maybe it may not feel like it, but I think you could be part of your universe’s pack too. Might take some time, though.”

“So you’ve heard the story.”

Scott winced. “Stiles tried to make a bad effort in telling it, and I put the pieces together. Liam confirmed it though.”

“And?”

“And I still stand by my original choice. You’re still Theo. And maybe you’re not my Theo, but...you’re the one I got right here in front of me. Besides, if you still like chocolate crepes, then I suppose there’s goodness in you,” Scott smiled.

Theo laughed. “Can I ask you something Scott?”

“Anything.”

“Do I feel human to you?”

Scott gave him a concerned look. “Of course you do. Even if we’re supernatural creatures, there will always be a part of us that’s human.”

“I remember something you once told me, back in my original universe, that the reason the pack won’t accept me isn’t because I’m not a True Alpha, but because I don’t have enough humanity in me.”

Theo saw Scott wince. “That...well...”

“He was right of course, the me back then,” Theo continued, “and I began to wonder if by being summoned back by Liam using Kira’s sword after I got sent to my hell was the start of me regaining back whatever humanity I lost before. Guilt is part of humanity, right?”

Scott nodded.

“I helped Liam and the pack with the Wild Hunt and Hunter War because I wanted to lessen the guilt, but now, I’m starting to think it’s beyond just feelings of regret and guilt.”

The both of them grew silent. Theo wrung his fingers around the crepe wrapper in his hands, twisting and tearing the paper into little bits. Scott broke their silence first.

“Liam got you out, and gave you a chance, and maybe you didn’t have to prove yourself to him that you were good or whatever, but you did anyways. Why?”

“I just told you. My own interests in lessening my guilt.”

“Theo.”

Theo knew the real answer to that one. “Because he trusted me, and believed in me, even with all the reasons he had not to do so.”

“Trust and faith in each other is the foundation of any relationship or friendship, Theo,” Scott went on, “and maybe, it was guilt the first time, but I think you kept at each other because you genuinely grew to care for each other after all this time.”

Theo knew all that too, but to have it spelled out for him, to have someone say that the two of them _did_ care for each other and that it wasn’t some weird confused perception on his part – it helped him see that he and Liam really _had_ become friends.

And if that was true, then all the times he’s spent with Liam: coincidental and planned meetings, video games and lacrosse in secret, late night diners and sleeping in his room, tapping fingers to a single heartbeat to calm the other person down...

 _Nope_ , Theo immediately stopped his train of thought, _I am_ not _going in that direction. No. Not going there._

But the idea was there now, clear as day and as obvious as the fact that he and Liam are friends.

_Just friends?_

_Shut up,_ Theo thought to himself.

Scott misinterpreted his constipated look and went forward with his explanation. “If you’re worried about being unhealthily attached to Liam –”

“ _Unhealthily attached?_ ” Theo choked on air.

“– I can tell that it isn’t the case with you two. I mean, the two of you are obviously very close, but I don’t think the two of you are in a relationship that’s founded on –”

“ _Relationship?_ Alright, hold on, Scott, stop, stop! What are you talking about?” Theo glared at the Alpha.

Scott threw him a clueless look. “You looked like you were doubting why you and Liam were together.”

Three seconds ago, Theo was thinking of the hundred reasons why he and Liam _shouldn’t_ be together.

“We’re not. Together.” Theo ground out.

This, more than any of what he’s said so far, is what surprised Scott the most. “You’re not?”

“No,” Theo sighed, “what even gave you the idea?”

“I just took one look at the two of you and I could tell you guys were it,” Scott replied, sounding genuinely convinced of his previous assumption.

“We’re not,” Theo repeated.

“Do you want to be though?” Scott asked. This was not the time for Theo’s brain to working like a _normal boy_. He urged himself to think of other things to derail his line of thought.

_Murder. Betrayal. Experiments on the supernatural. Knocking Lydia out. Deceiving Malia. Running circles around Stiles. Killing Scott. Stealing the McCall pack. Playing with Liam and Hayden. Getting his sister’s heart out. Nightmares. Waking up from nightmares. Waking up to Liam beside him. Waking up to..._

_Fucking hell_ , Theo cursed inwardly.

The chimera’s silence drew out, and Scott assumed his silence as his answer. “It’s not so impossible when you think about it,” the Alpha continued, “you and him.” Theo snorted.

“I’m serious! I see the way you look at him.”

“And how do I look at him Scott?” Theo drawled.

“Like you’re drowning in him, and you can’t look away because you’re trying to figure him out.”

From the very first time Liam summoned him back to be bait for the Wild Hunt, Theo had grown curious of the beta, the beta who tried so hard to prove his worth to his Alpha, to gain Scott’s favor and approval. And they’ve had a good run, saving each other from one supernatural threat to the next, and even after everything, Theo still couldn’t figure out why fate or life or whatever controls the universe seems to think he Liam fit together.

Even now, he’s still trying to figure Liam and himself out.

“I’ll give you one point for that, Scotty,” Theo shook his head, as Scott just chuckled in the background.

Scott’s right; Theo has a lot of figuring out to do, but he thinks he’s halfway there already – he’s just too stubborn to accept the undeniable truth he’s feeling.

~

As one of Beacon Hills’ most distinguished and most charitable families, the Hale family has been invited as special guests for Friday night’s benefit concert. Having been an alumnus of the school, Talia herself donates annually to the Beacon Hills High School, and one such recipient of her yearly donations was the Orchestra club.

Talia couldn’t really refuse the invitation, so despite being busy with supernatural business – what with the Darach and Deucalion in Beacon Hills – she’s resolved to taking one night off with her husband and attend the concert, along with the other invited guests of the school who had gathered at her house – namely the Sheriff, the Memorial Hospital’s head nurse, and the Argent family head.

“Laura, are you done? The teacher escort will be here in a few minutes!”

Dressed in an immaculate black and white pantsuit in the Hale house foyer was Talia Hale, pacing around the floor as she called from upstairs to her daughter. Kevin Hale, her husband, simply stood by the entry way between the foyer and the living area, lips curled in amusement at Talia’s fussing.

“She’s getting along dear, you know how long she takes to get ready.”

“Kevin, I just heard Laura change outfits for the fifth time _five minutes_ ago. She’s dressing for a benefit concert, not a date.”

“Just because she’s going to a benefit concert, doesn’t mean she’s dressing for one,” a voice from behind Kevin spoke.

Talia turned to look at the speaker, and was met by Melissa, followed by Chris and Noah. Melissa was dressed in a simple floral one-piece dress, looking more social than someone in say, nurse scrubs. The men behind her were dressed in equal formality – fitted button-ups, jackets, slacks, and leather shoes.

“And what would Laura be dressing up for?” Talia asked.

“ _Who_ , Talia,” Noah replied, “I’m off-duty tonight from the department. Which means my immediate deputy is the one in charge.”

The Hale matriarch sighed. _Of course. I should’ve known. Jordan Parrish._

“Now that is a pair that’s been waiting to happen for the longest while now,” Kevin chuckled, “so long that it’s almost tragic.”

“I hope you’re not completely off-duty for tonight, Sheriff,” Talia said. In response, Noah patted his left side where, hidden by the jacket, his gun holster was drawn. Chris patted his gun in response as well.

“I’m never off-duty with this Council,” Noah replied drily.

“And a woman on a mission never lets up,” a voice from the staircase said, “honestly Dad, the long wait just makes it all the more exciting when we do end up together.”

Laura descended the stairs in the slowest, most dramatic manner Talia has ever seen anyone done on the stairs. Laura was dressed in a simple glittering black number, high heels making her tall figure stand out even more, a matching clutch bag on one hand. Laura wore her hair loose and wavy, parted to one side of her head and baring her shoulders. Talia would admit that her daughter’s dress showed a little more boob than necessary for a benefit concert for recent murder victims.

“You might want to grab a jacket, dear, it’s quite _chilly_ tonight.”

“Werewolves run very warm, mother dearest, and you know it, but thank you for the concern,” Laura replied haughtily as she reached the bottom of the stairs, doing a little twirl to show off her outfit. Melissa, Noah, Chris, and Kevin clapped at Laura as she laughed and took a mock bow.

“Don’t encourage her,” Talia glared at her husband.

A second later, the sound of a car reached their driveway, and everyone filed out of the house.

“Remind me again why we couldn’t all just go together and why we had to get a school chaperone?” Laura asked Talia as they made their way down the driveway.

“Philip has the Tesla and Peter took the Volvo. Derek’s driving the Camaro, and your father’s Ferrari is at the shop for its monthly tune up. Melissa doesn’t have a car, the Stilinski’s jeep is used by Stiles, and the Argents haven’t got a new car from the Kate Argent fiasco. We only have my car, and since we all can’t fit inside it, the school has offered to pick us up.”

“And since the Council was convening for a meeting anyways, it was convenient to be picked up here,” Laura finished, “who’s going with the teacher?”

“You, your father, and I will be taking my Prius. Melissa and the gentlemen will be going with the teacher. Fair division.”

Right on cue, a tall curvy woman made her way out of her car and walked over to their group. She was a pretty young woman, Talia noted, and she had an aura about her that seemed pleasing.

“Good evening! I’m Jasmine Benson, I’m the teacher that’ll be escorting you to the concert. Who will be riding with me in the car?”

“That would be us,” Melissa smiled at the teacher, as the three of them made their way to the teacher’s car.

“We’ll be following behind you,” Talia told the teacher. Ms. Benson smiled brightly. “Of course, no problem!”

~

Once in the car, Ms. Benson started her Honda and eased off the driveway, looking at her side mirror to check on the Hale car following her.

“Thank you for inviting us for the concert,” Melissa began, “it’s a nice way to spend our night off, right Sheriff?”

“I’m just hoping Parrish doesn’t get too distracted by Laura. She could be a force in that dress,” Noah muttered.

“It’s no trouble at all! The school _insists_ on your presence, especially after all you’ve done for the residents in the last few months. So many strange and violent things have happened, it’s a relief we have people like you and the Hales ready to help out in the community,” Ms. Benson replied. She fiddled with the dials of her radio, playing soft music in the background.

“We’re all one community. We should look out for each other,” Chris said. Melissa nodded in agreement.

“So, Ms. Benson, you’re a new teacher in the school right?” Noah asked.

“That’s right. I’m the new AP English teacher after the last one, Mrs. Newman, resigned. I’ve only been here not more than two months.”

“How are you settling in?” Chris asked.

“I’m doing fine,” Ms. Benson replied, “but I was surprised at the recent events at Beacon Hills. Not to sound rude, but...”

“We get it. The county doesn’t sound like the safest place in recent times,” Noah continued.

“Still, the people here are so resilient and strong. There’s something to be admired in a community that doesn’t collapse amidst multiple tragedies, don’t you think?”

“I hope you don’t mind me asking, but what is this song you’re playing? It sounds orchestral,” Melissa asked.

“Oh! It’s one of the pieces that will be played at the benefit concert tonight. Would you like to listen to it?”

But before any of them could reply, Ms. Benson cranked up the volume of the radio, filling the car with the sound of orchestral music. The music swelled in a steady rhythm, until the heavy beats and blaring horns and the sound of wailing violins took over. And the haunting sound of the chanting, intense and in a language they could not understand...

“Personally, I find this piece very heavy and dramatic,” Ms. Benson offered her opinion.

A chill went up Melissa’s spine. “Really? What’s the song called?”

“ _Sacrificium,”_ Ms. Benson replied, a cruel twist of a smile on her face, “don’t you think this lovely piece is simply _to die for?_ ”


	9. Part 8: The Choices We Make

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Darach makes her appearance. Includes running in the woods, sinister concerts, and confrontations. So many confrontations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES FINALLY I UPDATED!!!  
> I was swamped with work recently and had little time to write, and then I got sick again, got back to work and was still busy, and because of the long while without writing, I got writer’s block. I tried to write and update sooner, but the it just didn’t feel right, and how I wrote most of the stuff before didn’t feel like it would lead me in the direction I wanted the story to go. Not to mention this was the chapter with the most number of plot developments, I couldn’t be careless in writing it.  
> So here. It took me a long while, but I got my groove back for now and this is probably the longest chapter I’ve written for this fic. So: read on. :D

For some reason, Theo already hated tonight.

It wasn’t because he hated the idea of attending a school function with the pack, but rather there was this persisting and niggling feeling inside of him that told him tonight was a bad idea. He couldn’t explain it, but there was some sort buzzing in the air that felt like ozone.

Like the calm before the storm.

“Theo, come on! Scott and the rest are coming to pick us up in a few minutes!”

The chimera heard Liam before he saw him, the beta already dressed in the new clothes Allison got for him a few days ago. On principle, this would be the part where Theo makes a quick comment on Liam’s puppy-like excitement over the pack, but he was a beat too silent before he felt Liam’s demeanor change completely into concern.

“Theo?”

“I’ll get dressed,” Theo quickly said, “and don’t nag. You sound like Stiles.”

Theo’s distraction worked, as Liam was immediately incensed at his comment and huffed, before he walked back away from the room’s door and went downstairs. Theo touched the spot on his chest over his heart, trying to center himself.

He really felt off tonight.

“Theo,” he heard Liam say to him from downstairs, his werewolf hearing picking up the beta’s soft tone, “your heart’s beating a little quicker than usual. What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Theo said back, keeping his voice level, “nothing to worry about.”

“In my experience, usually when someone says that, that’s when we _should_ worry.” Theo heard Liam pacing in the living room, his footfalls soft on the carpet, the rustling of the curtains telling him that Liam was by the living room window.

“It’s nothing. Just a feeling. I’m going to get dressed, and you better not strain your hearing trying to hear me strip, pervert,” Theo replied, ending the conversation with his usual jab. He heard a choking sound from downstairs and Theo couldn’t help but smile.

Theo took a steadying breath and slowed his heartbeat. Nothing bad was going to happen tonight. And if does happen...

Well, he’ll deal with when it happens. Experience has proven he’s good with that, and with Liam and the rest of the pack around, he’s sure they can take it. 

~

For very vague reasons, Lydia already hated tonight.

She sat in her car, fully dressed and made up, ready to go and drive over to Allison’s to pick her up so they could go together to school. Logically, there was no reason to feel uneasy – the week has passed relatively uneventful, and knowing that her pack and the Council would be in attendance in the same place, she should feel assured that if something did happen, it would taken care of quickly.

Except it didn’t.

Tonight, the Voices were more subdued than normal. Lydia hated this – it could only mean one thing: that something ominous was about to happen. No deaths, as far as she’s concerned – deaths are brought by screams and not silence, but this quieter version of the Voices in her head is equally unsettling if not more.

She hated knowing something bad will happen without knowing what bad thing it would be.

Lydia took a calming breath and slowly counted down from one to ten – a calming exercise she learned from Stiles – and let out a huge exhale at the last count. She looked at her reflection by the overhead mirror and sighed. She would _not_ be daunted by a vague feeling. She refuses to let this vague negative feeling ruin her night.

With one last exhale, Lydia started her car, and made her way to Allison’s house.

 ~

For just the simplest of reasons, Liam already liked tonight.

Other than Theo’s weirdness earlier, Liam was certain tonight was going to be great. He had changed into the crisp blue shirt, dark blazer, and new pair of pants Allison got for him last Monday, and he has to admit he looked good in it. More mature and put together, like the way Allison and Stiles dressed themselves in this universe.

Just for a little bit, Liam couldn’t help but feel a little more confident in his new clothes, like he knew what he was doing with his life. He didn’t feel like the pathetic Liam that moped around when he learned Scott was moving away for college and Hayden broke up with him – he felt like the kind of Liam that would be okay despite all that.

Looking outside the window and tuning out the rustling upstairs that indicated Theo was getting ready as well, Liam recalled this morning with Scott, and his training session with Derek and Stiles in the early afternoon.

After spending the morning helping out at the school to prepare the gym for the benefit concert with Scott, the duo of Stiles and Derek arrived saying they wanted to try sparring with him. Liam didn’t even have the chance to refuse before he found himself swept up in Stiles and Derek’s pace, and by the time the fact sunk in that he was completely whisked away from Scott, he was running alongside Derek in the forest, avoiding getting shot by arrows fired from Stiles’s crossbow.

One of the very little but surprising things that Liam learned in this universe is that Derek smiled more often. It looked good on him, Liam found himself thinking, that this Derek showed more emotion than the Derek he knew. This universe’s Stiles was also more smart-hunter than just the researcher-and-plans-guy he knew, but in essence, he was still the same sardonic and brutally honest Stiles he’s familiar with.

“You look a lot less tense now,” Derek said to him. Liam cast him a curious look as Stiles padded over to them, crossbow at ease in his right hand.

“You look a lot less grumpy-sad is what he means,” Stiles explained.

“To be fair, I _am_ in a whole other universe than my own,” Liam replied.

“True, but something tells me you have the same brand of grumpy-sad personality like Derek does.” Said werewolf threw Stiles an unimpressed look.

“I am not grumpy-sad!” Liam said, incensed.

“That’s not what Theo says,” Derek rebuked, an easy smile on his face, “he finds it easy to rile you up, and he says it’s very fun to tease you and see your reactions to things.”

“Because he’s an asshole.”

“He’s _your_ asshole,” Stiles pointed out. The emissary paused a bit before continuing, “You know, you sort of remind me of a young Derek Hale, back when he was seventeen.”

“You know Derek when he was young?” Liam asked, ignoring Derek’s mumbled retort that “he was still plenty young” and “I was _nothing_ like him.”

“I was ten when I first heard of Derek. Being part of a community-famous family, everybody knew who the Hales were. But Derek and Laura stood out, because they got into the most number of shenanigans in their teens.”

Stiles laughed. “Even back then, it never crossed my mind I’d even be associated with Derek. The Hales were famous but gave off a distant vibe, you know? It’s like you’ve heard of them, but you never really knew them. I suppose they kept their distance because of the whole lycanthropy thing. Still, people loved to talk about Laura and Derek Hale, trouble maker extraordinaires.”

“Even at ten you sure loved to gossip,” Derek grumbled.

“You were like everyone’s favourite after-school afternoon special!” Stiles chimed good-naturedly, before a soft look crosses his eyes, still looking at Derek. “Still are.”

Liam felt suddenly lost in the conversation.

“Point is, you only ever let yourself at ease when Theo was around, and it’s just nice that now you aren’t constantly on your guard with us even when your partner isn’t around,” Stiles continued, “You feel like pack.”

Liam knows what being in a pack feels like; being in one, it was natural: the easy way Scott acknowledged him, Stiles’s overprotectiveness, Lydia’s careful planning to prevent them from getting in deep trouble, even Malia’s rough brand of familiarity.

But the thing is, he hasn’t known this easy-going vibe with a pack very well, considering the very circumstances that got him in the supernatural world and the course of events that followed it never really allowed much time for pack bonding, much less developing normal civilian lives.

The one good memory of a pack bonding session Liam could remember happened before Theo was in the picture – it was when Kira was still with them, Mason hadn’t known about werewolves yet, and Derek hadn’t left Beacon Hills. It was a random night they decided to watch movies together at the Martin’s lake house, well past a full moon.

~

_Liam watched as Scott and Kira snuggled on the couch, flat out ignoring the mess that Stiles and Malia were on the carpet a few feet away from them, the werecoyote flicking popcorn at Stiles as she fails to see how something so light and weightless like popcorn could be substantial food if not for playing._

_“Malia is getting popcorn everywhere,” he heard Lydia sigh from behind him, hands full of DVDs. She gave him a questioning look, raising a perfectly drawn eyebrow at the beta. “Well don’t just stand there, get in there. We didn’t invite you to stand awkward at a corner of the lake house for the whole duration of the night.”_

_Scott chose that moment to look away from Kira and beam at him, and Liam couldn’t help but feel the immense relief at his Alpha’s approval of his presence._

_“So, Lydia,” Stiles spoke, batting away another piece of popcorn Malia threw at him, “what movies do you got?”_

_A good one hour and half was spent arguing whether to watch The Notebook or Star Wars movies Stiles brought, and Liam felt so out of place with everyone – these people who were so older, stronger, and attractive – that he didn’t notice his own silence until Scott left the group discussion and sat beside him on the floor._

_“Hey, Liam,” Scott began, “what movie do you want to watch?”_

_“I think this is a mistake,” Liam blurted out. There was an obvious moment of silence as the noise of the group arguing about movies stared at him, before Stiles snatched a DVD case that looked like The Notebook and hid it behind him, prompting the group to resume their argument._

_Liam felt ashamed at his tactlessness , and he felt Scott sigh beside him. Liam felt embarrassed._

_“When I became a werewolf, the idea of becoming part of a pack didn’t appeal to me at all. I didn’t want to suddenly have to feel close to strangers that I was supposed to feel a connection with because of the Bite, and for so long, I fought the urge to be part of a pack and gave Derek a hard time, until I became an Alpha and had my own pack.”_

_Liam felt Scott look at him from the corner of his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips._

_“It’s okay that you feel guarded against us, especially if you feel like you’re obligated to be friends with us because of the Bite. Of all people, I know that feeling the most. We’re practically strangers, only brought together by our unique circumstances. All I’m asking is to just give us a chance Liam, and maybe we could be good friends.”_

_Mustering a little courage, he turned his head to look at Scott, who was looking fondly at Stiles and Lydia arguing about the movie they would watch. Malia was back to flicking popcorn at the back of Stiles’s head, and Kira looked confused as to which movie_ she _wanted to watch._

_“I just feel like the weird outlier at a family gathering.”_

_“You could be that to us, if you give us the time.” Scott turned and smiled at Liam. “You could be family, too.”_

~

“I guess I’ve never really had this so much stuff to do with a pack before. You know our story – we didn’t exactly have a lot of time for bonding activities,” Liam replied.

Derek frowned. “It must’ve been hard, the adjustment.”

“I guess?” Liam thought about, “I mean, it took a while, but I did eventually trust Scott. I guess I became close with the pack after dealing with everything thrown in our way together.”

 Stiles smirked at him. “I suppose Theo is the same?”

“Well, yeah.”

Liam knew Stiles was somehow mocking him. The beta narrowed his eyes at the emissary as Derek sighed, shooting Stiles a disapproving look. “Stiles. Be nice.”

“I _am_ nice! And it’s true isn’t it? You and Theo are plenty close. _Very close_ from what I’ve heard.”

“We’re friends,” Liam said flatly, like he was stating the obvious.

“Who sleep together?”

Liam gaped at Stiles and slipped on nothing on the forest floor, flapping his arms uselessly at his sides. “We’re not – We’re not _sleeping_ together!” Liam hissed vehemently.

Derek’s eyes widened a bit at Liam’s reply. “Was that...that was a lie, Liam.”

Liam’s cheeks blushed red. “I mean, yeah, we do sleep together, but not as in _sex_ , just, you know, _sleeping in the same room_ together.”

“That’s not what Erica texted me. Said she found you guys in one room. Cuddling. Together.”

The image of him cuddling next to Theo in his alternate universe’s childhood bed brought a furious shade of red to Liam’s ears, to which Stiles doesn’t miss and cackles at him.

“Don’t listen to him. Erica said you guys were weird that you slept in the same room but not the same bed. What did Theo do and you made him sleep on the floor?” Derek shoved Stiles lightly, prompting the emissary to flail around to catch his balance.

Liam opened his mouth to ask “ _We weren’t actually cuddling?_ ” but stopped, realizing that asking that question just doesn’t make sense. Instead, he replied “He was reading the documents Stiles and Allison left yesterday. We fell asleep. And of course we wouldn’t sleep in the same bed!”

“But you have, haven’t you?” Stiles raised an eyebrow at him. Liam scowled, knowing that Derek would hear the lie if he denied it.

Liam’s silence was answer enough to confirm Stiles’s teasing.

“Liam, if you and Theo were dating, the two of you would be the last people to know about it.”

Derek chuckled at Stiles’s teasing as Liam surged forward to tackle the emissary, which started another round of catch and chase with the crossbow, with Stiles and Liam often scuffling together like hunter versus werewolf.

The rest of the afternoon was spent with Liam and Stiles bickering and Derek throwing them long-suffering looks, until the older man told Liam to go home to prepare for the benefit concert.

~

Theo took a whole ten minutes to get ready before he headed downstairs to join Liam waiting in the living room, and it was only a few minutes before the two of them heard the familiar stalling noise of Stiles’s jeep turning around their corner.

Scott, Stiles, Liam, and Theo arrived at the school in Stiles’s jeep past 6 pm, parking at an empty slot between Lydia and Derek’s cars. The four of them got out of the jeep as the other pack members did: Lydia, Allison, Kira, and Malia stepping out of one car, and Derek, Isaac, Erica, and Boyd out of the other.

“Jackson’s texted me that he and the twins are already inside. They wanted to see Danny before the performance,” Lydia announced, pocketing her phone after a few taps on it, presumably having typed a reply to the text she got.

“We’re off to see Danny too,” Isaac replied, “see you guys later. Save us seats?”

“Of course,” Allison smiled, as Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Kira, and Malia gathered together and left in the direction of the auditorium’s rear entrance, with Isaac giving them a lazy wave as he lead their small group.

“Let’s go in then, better get us some seats,” Stiles quipped, “think we could manage to sit in front with the VIPs?”

Derek took out his phone and frowned. “They’re not even here yet. The last text I got from Mom said that Laura was _still_ getting dressed. And no, Stiles, we don’t get special treatment by extension.”

“Ah. Probably heard that Parrish was on shift tonight,” Stiles replied knowingly.

Even though he couldn’t explain it, Theo felt concerned about the lack of updates from Alpha Hale. He felt that Derek should be worried, not having received any texts from his mother, but then again, if Derek wasn’t worried, why should he?

“Theo,” he felt Liam beside him bump his hand with his, who looked at him from the corner of his eyes.

“It’s nothing,” Theo whispered back, bumping his hand back absently. For a brief second, Theo caught Lydia throw him a curious look, but the chimera didn’t grace her with a look back.

He and Liam followed Scott and Stiles who lead their group towards the main doors of the auditorium and went inside, which was already mostly filled with people. Despite what the concert was intended for, the atmosphere was a jovial one, filled with chatter and laughter, and though the sorrow of the families of the victims was palpable even in the dense crowd, they were hopeful and grateful, and Theo couldn’t help but be amazed at the mundane humanity’s strength to recover.

“At this rate, if we can’t find seats, we’re all going to have to stand in the back,” Scott said. Beside him, Derek gave a huff.

“What’s wrong?” the Alpha asked.

“Mom’s not returning any of my texts or calls.”

“They’re probably still just in the middle of their meeting. Also explains why they’re running late,” Stiles replied, “my dad’s GPS says they’re still by the preserve.”

“You bugged your dad’s phone?” Allison asked sounding surprised.

“And you didn’t?” Stiles smiled at her amusedly, as the huntress laughed at the accusation.

Theo spotted Lydia walk towards a few rows of seats near the back, Scott and Derek on her heels. He, Liam, Allison, and Stiles followed them, as the latter noted the banshee’s discomfort.

“Hey Lyds, you okay? You look a little uncomfortable there,” Stiles asked her.

“I’ll be fine,” Lydia replied, tone light but Theo could tell it was a calculated airy voice, “just didn’t expect so many people to gather for a school benefit concert. It’s a bit noisy. Crowded.” Theo could also tell Lydia used a subtle non sequitur to avoid lying, and with Scott’s frown, he wasn’t the only one to catch it. None of them said a word about it though.

Scott sat on the seat nearest the aisle, Derek sitting beside him, followed by Stiles and Lydia, Allison taking Lydia’s other side, which left Theo and Liam the chairs beside Allison the only ones available.

“What about Isaac and the rest?” Liam asked.

“They’re standing I guess. There aren’t any more seats. I’ll text them where we are,” Allison volunteered. Theo chanced a look at Lydia, who was sitting as prim and proper as can be, though something about her ramrod posture ticked Theo off that Lydia wasn’t as fine as she claimed she was.

“Hey, Liam?”

“What is it?” Liam replied, not looking at Theo and was instead looking over the crowd.

“I’ll admit I may be a little bit on edge tonight.”

“What? Why? Something wrong?” Liam asked, immediately concerned. A few seats back, Theo could sense Scott and Derek listen in on them.

“Just a feeling,” Theo replied, trying to sound flippant about it.

 Liam groaned, and though Theo would normally quip a retort at Liam’s childishness, he instead tapped a slow beat on his lap, trying to calm himself down. A seat away from him, he heard Lydia’s breath stutter almost undetectably, only felt by Theo because of his enhanced chimera senses. Without missing a beat, Scott throws him a level yet curious look, indicating him he was listening.

“On a scale of one to potentially having your existence wiped out from history, how bad is this feeling of yours?” Liam asked.

Theo’s thoughts formed a morbid reply but kept silent instead, choosing to face forward as he watched the stage be filled with students from the Orchestra club, easily picking out Jackson and Isaac’s group entering the auditorium through the side entrance as the people in the gym quieted down.

~

The concert started as the club’s adviser walked slowly across the stage to her piano, the strings and percussions poised to play.

By the sides of the room, Theo heard Jackson, the twins, Isaac, Erica, Boyd, Malia, and Kira made their way towards them, where they sat near the back. A few seats away, he could see Derek’s concerned expression as he looked at his phone. Theo could already tell that Alpha Hale had not replied yet.

Without a moment’s delay, despite the special invited guests’ absence, the concert started.

Not more than two minutes later, Theo heard Lydia’s heartbeat stutter.

“Something’s not right,” Lydia suddenly said. The members of the pack who were sat close to her immediately looked in her direction.

“Lydia, what do you mean?” Allison asked.

“ _Something’s not right_ ,” Lydia persisted, her voice suddenly a vicious whisper.

“You’re going to have to be a little more specific Lydia,” Stiles quipped.

All of a sudden, Theo felt a chill run down his spine. All of a sudden the bad feeling he had all evening clicked into place. Just as he was about to agree with Lydia, the orchestra in front of them began singing. It was a song unfamiliar to Theo’s ears, but he knew exactly what that fatal rhythm was.

“Three,” Theo croaked.

“What?” Liam asked beside him.

“You asked me how bad my feeling was on a scale of one to shit-ass fucked over,” Theo replied absently, “I have a feeling it’s a three.”

“A three?” Liam repeated, confusion in his tone, “that doesn’t sound too bad Theo.”

“No,” Lydia whispered beside them, “three is very, _very_ bad.”

Instantly, Lydia was out of her seat and was rushing her way out of the row, prompting a yelp from Stiles as Derek and Scott stood up to make way for her. Lydia didn’t wait for any of them before she was bolting for the door, the orchestra on the stage reaching a louder crescendo, filling the gym with its sinister chanting.

Around them, even the audience stirred, sensing something was amiss.

The McCall pack didn’t waste any time; Scott and Derek were on Lydia’s trail right away, and Stiles and Allison met with the pack members who stood by the rear. As the song progressed, Theo could feel the concert audience’s mood shift drastically, hauntingly entranced by the sinister music that played in the background. The people who weren’t aware of supernatural phenomenon sat still in their seats like zombies, while others, Theo noticed, glanced very pointedly at their group, confusion, curiosity, and concern radiating off of them.

 _They know,_ Theo realized, _they’re like us too, and they know who we are._

“What’s going on?” Jackson could barely contain the worry in his harsh whisper. Their huge group had hurried out of the auditorium into the cold night, where they made out Derek’s Camaro ease out of the parking as it tore down off school premises.

“Lydia got a Silence,” Stiles answered.

“A silence? What does Lydia getting silence mean?” Theo heard Liam ask.

“It’s like the banshee scream, but a lot less _let’s-find-a-dead-body-in-the-woods_ and more _try-to-guess-why-you-have-this-really-really-bad-feeling-we’re-not-telling-you_ kind of feeling,” Stiles explained.

When Liam gave him a confused look, Allison elaborated on it. “Banshees are able to hear these voices called the Voices Beyond. Usually, they’re present, like murmurs or whispers that don’t really bother her, as Lydia told us. When the Voices scream in her ear, that’s when Lydia screams, meaning someone has died or will die. But when the Voices fall completely silent – no whispers or murmurs – that’s a premonition that something bad will happen.”

“Like the brief moment of silence when someone takes a deep breath before letting out a loud scream,” Theo mumbled. Allison gave him an appraising nod.

“Theo, you told me earlier you had a bad feeling,” Liam spoke, suddenly remembering the chimera’s words earlier, “how did you know?”

“There was a thin scent of ozone in the air. Magic,” Liam’s eyes flickered in recognition, “that music inside is an ancient chant. I don’t know what it says, but I’m sure it’s Celtic.”

“The Darach,” Stiles said, voice ice cold. Theo turned to look at Stiles, and couldn’t help the chill that rolled down his spine as he was met with a blank expressionless stare. It wasn’t Nogitsune-levels of expressionless looks as far as Theo could say, but it was an unsettling look.

“Allison, we’re taking the jeep. Everybody else will stay and make sure everyone in there is safe. Get Danny. Get some of the other supernaturals in the room to help you if it becomes too much. Hale law of the land requires they cooperate with us in times of crises. Go.”

Theo watched as everyone aside from him and Liam wordlessly heeded the emissary’s words and went back inside the auditorium. Without a backward glance, Stiles and Allison strode towards the jeep. Liam followed the two, and really, what else was Theo supposed to do?

The four of them were close to the jeep when Stiles whipped around and glared at him and Liam, eyes stone cold and steely. Beside him, Allison tensed, poised to intervene immediately if a fight would break out.

“I said everyone aside from Allison stays. That includes you two.”

“No,” Liam replied back, and the coolness in his tone surprised Theo, expecting him to retort heatedly. The chimera did, however, detect Liam’s elevated heart rate, so he knew Liam wasn’t as calm as he made himself appear.

“No? Did I not make myself clear? Liam, Theo, you two are to stay here and help that godforsaken disaster waiting to happen in the auditorium to deescalate. This is not negotiable.”

“And us staying here is not negotiable either,” Liam answered, “My Alpha is out there with Derek and Lydia. I have to be there.”

“No, you don’t. Where you have to be is where the pack needs you most, and that is here, helping everyone else to adjust when situations like this happen.”

“Where _I_ have to be is by Scott’s side, because despite the alternate universe situation, I’m still his beta,” Liam argued, “Stiles, please. Let me come with you, and Theo can sense the magic in the air and he can lead us directly where the fight’s happening.”

Stiles, remained unmoved. “Scott’s _betas_ stay here so they could prevent any untoward situations from worsening!”

“I’m Scott’s first bitten beta. Just by having me around, the bond strengthens both of us. Just let me come with you and I can help!”

“You and Theo are not leaving the school. You will both stay here, not as a request, but as an order!”

Theo knew Stiles crossed a line with that one. Only an Alpha can order a beta around like that. “You don’t get to tell me what to do! You’re not my Alpha!”

“I AM YOUR EMISSARY AND YOU WILL DO AS I SAY!” Stiles shouted, voice deep and guttural. A wave of faint magic washed over them, Stiles’s unstable emotions rendering him to lose control over his magic momentarily.

“Stiles, enough!” Allison stepped forward and extended her arm in front of Stiles, restraining the boy from advancing on Liam.

Liam, on the other hand, was stunned into silence. Theo could feel the hot trace of embarrassment and frustration running through the beta. Theo knew that what Stiles was saying was logical, but he couldn’t help but hate Stiles the way he told Liam off. He wasn’t Liam’s Alpha – he had no right to compel him to obey his demands just because he was the pack’s emissary.

“The difference between a bitten or born beta and a beta by choice is that close proximity between Alpha and bitten-or-born beta increases both their strengths two-fold. It’s the reason why the Hales are as powerful as they are, and why Scott feels so at ease with Liam. You already know this, Stiles.”

Stiles opened his mouth to begin again. “Theo –”

“You’re panicking. You forget that you’re not the only one with brains in this group. We know what you’re thinking – we know what horrible conclusion you’ve come to. And losing your nerve on us just because we don’t do as you tell us isn’t going to help the situation. Besides, how would you even know how to look the Darach? Lydia went ahead of us.”

Stiles and Theo were stared at each other.

“So calm. Yourself. Down.”

Stiles glared at him before closing his eyes, taking deep steadying breaths. The loud thumping of a panicked heart and spikes of irrational anger ebbed, and after a few moments, Stiles calmed down, eyes cast down the ground.

“The Darach is missing one group of sacrifices: guardians. Our parents are with Alpha Hale tonight, in the preserve, who hasn’t been responding to Derek’s calls or texts,” Stiles said slowly. “The Darach wouldn’t go for supernatural creatures for sacrifices, which makes the Darach’s options obvious.”

“The Grand Council functions as the supernatural forces’ guardians against threats,” Allison picked up on Stiles’s line of thought, sounding horrified, “our parents.”

Theo glanced at Liam, who also snuck a look at him. Liam looked a bit surprised, but the revelation didn’t seem to shake him. It made sense; for Liam, these events were part of an alternate history of their universe’s pack.

“We have to go. Now.” Allison said, tone serious.

“Liam,” Stiles looked up and faced Liam, who looked back at him. Stiles paused, like he was hesitating to say something before he moved on and looked at Theo instead. “Theo...you two should come with us. Can you trace the scent of magic for us, Theo?”

“Yes,” Theo replied slowly. He felt Liam beside him move forwards. At first, Theo thought Liam was going to take a swing at Stiles, but the beta just walked slowly past Stiles and Allison and headed for the jeep.

“You’re exactly like the Stiles I know,” Liam said softly, sounding hurt, “you keep saying we’re pack, but when a situation comes up that directly affects you, you push the people around you away. And I get it, you’re concerned about me, but I wish you’d stop treating me like a child. And I’m coming with you, regardless whether you ask me to or not. You don’t get to make my decisions for me.”

The three of them watched Liam open the jeep’s door and climb up the backseat. Allison threw Stiles a concerned look, who was looking absently at his jeep.

“He’s right, you know,” Theo began. “One of your many fatal flaws is taking the world’s weight on your shoulders without sharing it with anyone. And I would know: I did use it against you once. It was how I baited you and Donovan to kill each other, and had you betray Scott back in our universe.”

Theo ignored the surprised look on Stiles and Allison’s faces at his statement, and proceeded towards the jeep, climbing into the backseat with Liam. The beta was turned in the opposite direction, pointedly not looking at any of them.

After a few seconds, Stiles and Allison got inside the jeep as well, Stiles in the driver’s seat. The emissary looked at them by the rear view mirror, and offered them an apologetic smile, eyes still filled with fear for his dad, but also a glint of calmness in his gaze.

“So. Theo. Lead the way.”

Theo closed his eyes and expanded his senses. He heard the music in the auditorium had stopped, and that the McCall pack was going around the place, making sure everyone was okay. Lydia, Scott, and Derek were too far away for him to hear them, but he knew where they were headed.

“Start driving for the preserve. I’ll tell you where to go when I sense them.”

~

Liam knew he was being irrational.

Other than the fact that he was Scott’s bitten beta, that didn’t make him any more special than the other betas. Packs are formed by choice, too. And the people against the Darach were a solid force: Scott was an Alpha, Derek’s a powerful wolf from a powerful werewolf family lineage, Allison is a hunter, and Stiles was someone who had proficiency in both weapons and magic. He and Theo, in the long run, would be more liability than asset. In the end, Stiles’s cold logic made the most sense in terms of strategy.

But Liam also knew that he couldn’t leave Scott alone. He trusts Derek, Lydia, and Stiles, and he knows he could trust Allison, too, but he wants to be there for Scott, the way Scott was always there for him. It was more than just seeking for Scott’s approval: it was about giving back that unwavering support back when he could. And maybe it was childish and selfish, but Liam also knew he doesn’t deserve having people talk down to him like the way Stiles did.

Especially Stiles, who keeps himself at a distance to avoid getting hurt.

So maybe Stiles made the most logical choices that made sense, but Liam also knows that the logical choice doesn’t mean it’s the right choice.

To be honest, Liam wasn’t really mad at Stiles – he was just frustrated at how he was made to feel inferior because he was _just_ a beta. Back in his universe, Scott held Stiles in high regard – they were brothers, and really, Stiles was Scott’s unofficial emissary – and Lydia held a lot of influence over Scott’s decision-making when Stiles wasn’t around to talk sense. Malia and Kira would always be special to Scott, and Derek would always be the older brother figure Scott looked up to.

He didn’t mind being the youngest in the pack, but he hated the fact that they treated him like the pack’s baby sometimes, how he was easily dismissed and made to do other things because he wasn’t deemed capable enough to do the same tasks with the older pack members.

It was exactly this unintentional isolation that made him decide to summon Theo back with Kira’s sword, and the way Theo drifted towards him and actually _listened_ to him only drew them closer.

Liam turned his head a little to look at Theo at the edge of his periphery. Beside him, Theo was still tapping a slow beat by his knee, though by the look of focus on the chimera’s face to trace the magic in the air, he was doing it absently. It was a strange concept, Liam realized –Theo defending him – but to him, it just didn’t, because he knows he’d do the same for Theo, too.

It sort of made sense then, he supposed, why everybody got the impression that he and Theo were together. They really were close – maybe even closer than Liam initially realized.

_“Liam, if you and Theo were dating, the two of you would be the last people to know about it.”_

The beta sighed; this was _not_ the time or place to be thinking about that.

Liam sensed Theo tense up before he saw the chimera open his eyes, his irises glowing bright blue in the darkness. Theo proceeded to give directions to Stiles when they were close to the preserve, driving the jeep off the road and through the shrubberies. He listened as Allison briefed Stiles on what to expect, and Stiles replied back with back up plans if things went wrong.

To Liam though, he was barely listening. He could feel his bond with Scott tugging at him, telling him his Alpha was close. Theo, on the other hand, still looked tense. The hand that was tapping at his knee had turned to nervous drumming, and Liam didn’t hesitate to place his hand over Theo’s, just to try and calm him with the contact.

Theo turned to his direction and looked at him, eyes bright and blue and dangerous. Liam could feel the presence of magic in the preserve, and if he could feel it, then he knew Theo feels it at a more intense level. Liam waited until for Theo’s heart beat to slow down before he hesitantly withdrew his hands.

In the front, Stiles and Allison were still busy discussing battle plans before Stiles slammed on the breaks as they heard the distinct and pained howl of a wolf.

The howl of an Alpha.

“Alpha Hale,” Stiles mumbled. “We need to hurry, they could be –”

Stiles didn’t finish his sentence as he was cut off by the sound of a high pitched scream of a banshee.

As they glanced at each other, Liam saw the color drain from Stiles and Allison’s faces, before Stiles started up his jeep again and drove in the direction of Lydia’s scream.

Beside him, he found his hand back in Theo’s, where the chimera tapped his finger on his as he held Liam’s hand, a steady rhythm of tap, tap, tap, trying to tell him everything will be okay.

~

It wasn’t okay. They were too late.

~

After they heard Lydia’s scream, Stiles floored his jeep towards the scream’s location, no longer needing Theo’s navigation. The four of them reached a clearing not too long afterwards, with Scott and Derek beside a distraught Lydia on the ground, clutching at her throat like she was in pain. A distance away were Talia, Laura, and Kevin Hale, all three of them in states of disarray. Lingering beside the Hales was the golden visage of the Fae Queen, Daphne.

As it turns out, the school had one of the teachers chaperone the Hales and present company to the concert. The teacher’s name was Jasmine Benson. Stiles cursed at recognizing the name.

_“Julia Baccari. Jennifer Blake. Jasmine Benson. She kept the same damn initials, I should’ve seen it!”_

Melissa McCall, Noah Stilinski, and Chris Argent were in the same car as Jasmine Benson when she started playing a strange song on her radio, which Talia recognized right away as a magic chant. When Talia signalled for Ms. Benson’s car to stop to confront her about it, that’s when her car swerved sideways off the road and into the forest. The Hales managed to overtake her car, but it didn’t stop the Darach. The dark druid revealed her true appearance and engaged Talia and Laura in combat.

Their struggle lasted a long while, Talia and Laura slashing and going for her while Kevin provided support by using wards.

The two wolves were almost overwhelmed by the Darach when Daphne and the fae came, countering the magical spells that the Darach had in effect during the fight. It was around that time when Lydia, Scott, and Derek arrived at the clearing, the two boys engaging themselves in the fight.

When the moon that was hidden behind the night clouds revealed itself, the Darach’s magic surged, flicking everyone away a distance from her. Talia was first to recover, but the Darach was quicker; with swift movements, the druid grabbed Talia’s head and performed a spell, as Talia howled in pain and fury.

The Darach had returned to her abandoned car, tearing the vehicle’s doors open, revealing Melissa, Noah, and Chris unconscious inside. Everybody felt the faint pulse of magic coursing through the area when Lydia stood up and let out a high pitched banshee howl.

It stunned the dark druid momentarily, but in the end, she was able to recover, and as quick as she came, she disappeared in a flurry of mountain ash and wind, leaving the clearing with only the Lydia, Scott, Derek, the Hales, and Daphne and her fae. It was a few moments later when Stiles and his jeep entered the clearing.

“Mom! Mom! What happened? Are you alright?” Derek lumbered over to Talia.

“I’m alright, my boy, just a bit dizzy,” Talia replied, smiling a bit with a hand on her head.

“You’re not okay. We need to have Deaton check on you.”

“We will. We’re calling him right now. We need to call for an emergency meeting.”

Everyone got back into their vehicles and drove to the Hale house, the Fae Queen dismissing her fellow fae and following them in their wake. Upon arriving, Peter Hale and Lucinda Martin were already waiting for them by the front porch.

Lucinda Martin looked ghostly as Liam looked at her more properly – the prim bun of hair was gone, her pale white hair tumbling in soft waves past her shoulders. She was dressed in a white nightdress, like she had planned to go to sleep already, and her face was an expression of practiced calmness, the kind of look Liam knew people wore when there was bad news to broken.

Everybody trooped inside, Peter Hale asking what happened why half of them looked like they were in a fight, and why there was a fae with them, to which Talia curtly replied “Darach” before striding into the kitchen to make a few calls.

Within minutes, Deaton and Noshiko were at the Hale house, and Talia then told them of tonight’s developments. Liam looked at the Grand Council convening in the living room, missing three of its core members, as he felt Scott’s warring emotions from across the room.

Actually, it wasn’t just Scott. Liam felt the warring emotions of Scott, Stiles, and Allison in the room, all three of them in various states of fear and worry. Talia tried to reassure the young Alpha, emissary, and huntress, but Liam could tell it wasn’t working – Scott’s worry and fear for his mom was too prominent, Stiles felt like he was very close to having a minor panic attack, and though Allison looked very put together on the outside, Liam could sense she was desperate to find a way to get her dad back.

Belatedly, Liam realized they have good reason to be so worried and afraid, because Scott, Stiles, and Allison had the huge common factor of having single parents, and that if the Darach succeeded in her sacrifice, they would lose the only remaining members of their family left.

The meeting moved forward after Talia told her side of the story, and Lydia began to tell them their side of the evening. Lydia told everyone how she felt off about tonight, and how when the concert started, the Voices Beyond fell completely silent. Lucinda confirmed having the same experience, and both banshees confirmed that while there were no deaths tonight, the Voices are back with their sinister whispers.

“What was that scream Lydia? Why did you scream then, if nobody died?” Scott asked.

“It was a banshee’s howl, darling,” Lucinda answered him, “different from a scream, it’s a howl that renders our enemies paralyzed, and we can only harness the howl when we’re threatened. Unfortunately, it seemed the howl was unable to render the Darach vulnerable enough to deter her from committing her nefarious deeds tonight.”

“She was, but only for a moment,” Daphne replied, “the Darach is strong – stronger than any of us realized if she is able to resist a powerful howl as Ms. Lydia’s.”

Liam could see Lydia preen a little at the compliment, as Lucinda gave her granddaughter a proud look.

The meeting then proceeded to figure out what the Darach’s next move was, to which Theo intervened right away.

“The eclipse is happening on Sunday. That’s when the Darach plans to sacrifice her last group. If she’s acting like the Darach did in our universe, then she’s going to kill the sacrifices during the eclipse, in the location where she would gain most power from: the Nemeton.”

“The root cellar,” Kevin said, eyes wide with realization, “Talia, we need to go to the Nemeton.”

“I could get us all there, I could guide...” Talia trailed off, her face scrunching in confusion.

“Talia, what’s wrong?” Kevin asked, immediately at his wife’s side.

“I can’t remember,” Talia replied, voice shaking, “I can’t remember where the Nemeton is!”

“So that was what she did. She stole the memory of the Nemeton’s whereabouts,” Daphne mumbled.

“What about the emissaries? Aren’t they supposed to be in tune with the tree?” Laura asked.

“As emissaries, we don’t know the tree’s exact location, but we can walk in the forest and let the Nemeton guide us to it. Trouble is, I can’t sense the Nemeton. I haven’t been able to for a while now. Deaton probably knows anyway, being Alpha Hale’s emissary,” Stiles said, pointedly looking at the older emissary.

Deaton only shook his head. “As an emissary yourself Stiles, you know that the Nemeton only reveals its location to us when the tree wants to. Just because my Alpha was gifted with the permanent knowledge of the Nemeton’s exact location doesn’t mean I’m special by extension. You and I are more similar than you think.”

“I doubt it,” Stiles mumbled, visibly deflating against his chair. Scott placed an arm around his shoulders as Allison rested her head on Stiles’s other shoulder, all three of them looking worn down. Lydia moved from where she stood and sat beside Allison. Derek hung a bit closer to Scott’s side, still throwing concerned looks at his mother.

“If Talia is unable to locate the Nemeton, and our emissaries are as good as useless, then how the hell are we supposed to look for the damn tree?” Peter asked no one in particular.

There was a beat of silence when Liam and Theo’s gazes met. There was an unspoken conversation there, and one that Liam could tell Theo was against.

“There may be a way,” Liam began. The indignant annoyance he felt from Theo was expected, but also surprising. He didn’t realize Theo would be so against it. Then again, it was exactly this turning point that propelled their pack in the path to tragedy in the past – events tragic enough that Scott, Stiles, and Lydia still refuse to talk about it in detail.

“There really isn’t,” all the wolves turned in Theo’s direction, hearing the obvious lie in his heartbeat. Stiles perked up from where he sat, eyes alight with newfound hope.

“We need to connect ourselves to the Nemeton,” Stiles spoke, “that’s what we did right? The other us? We connected our souls to the tree so we could know its exact location.”

“And you know what happened to them,” Theo countered, “we told you what happened after you did the ritual. The three of you almost went out your minds – especially you Stiles. You almost literally went insane. You even checked yourself in at Eichen at one point.”

“And we recovered,” Stiles replied back.

“But not without casualties,” Theo argued back, tone deceptively level.

“We’re running out of time!”

Theo closed his eyes, looking frustrated. “There has to be another way.”

_“There has to be another way.”_

And oh, how many times has Liam heard those very same words from Scott? There was something to be said about how significant it was; how Theo, barely even recognized by their universe’s pack, now echoed the very same principles Scott held that he once scorned.

“Maybe. But Stiles is right: we’re running out of time. We have to do it,” Allison seconded the emissary, eyes looking at Theo defiantly.

Theo looked away and sighed. Although the chimera held an expression that looked like he couldn’t care any less, Liam knew Theo didn’t like that the pack wanted to do the ritual. He wanted to ask why, but somehow the question seemed too personal, so Liam stayed quiet.

“They make up half the Council that’s protecting not just Beacon county, but the growing number of supernaturals around the area,” Scott spoke, “but more than that, they’re our parents. We can’t lose them.”

“We can’t,” Stiles’s voice broke.

“If it’s a way to connect yourselves to the Nemeton, there is only one way to do so, just as Liam and Theo told us from their pack’s history,” Deaton warned.

“We’ll do it,” Scott replied. Everybody in the room stared at him.

“We’ll do it,” Stiles repeated, Allison nodding beside him, “it’s my dad out there. Scott’s mom. Allison’s dad. We’ll do it.”

“It will be dangerous,” Deaton replied, voice cool.

“And will also potentially drive us insane,” Stiles quipped back, a weak smile on his face.

“Maybe we should slow down,” Talia interjected, “we can’t make heavy decisions without weighing other options carefully.” Scott opened his mouth to protest, but Talia only held up her hand, telling the young Alpha to let her finish.

“I know that the three of you are desperate to get your parents back. And I am too: your parents are dear friends of mine. But I can’t have you making these big decisions that might, or will, permanently harm you, or worse, kill you. We are not making any big decisions tonight.”

“Forgive me for disagreeing Alpha Hale,” Stiles began, without missing a beat, “but time is of the essence and –”

“And I will let you perform whatever ritual it is you want, but _please_ Stiles, not tonight. Not while the three of you are so distraught like this,” Talia said, voice firm with finality. Stiles opened his mouth to argue more, but decided against it and simply nodded.

 “I need to talk to the three of you to prepare you for the ritual,” Deaton said, “Talia, if you don’t mind.”

“Take the study. You can talk to them there in private,” Talia replied. Deaton promptly strode out the room, Scott, Stiles, and Allison trailing behind him, faces locked in serious expressions.

“What do we do in the mean time?” Noshiko asked, moving the conversation forward.

“If the kids are finding ways to find the sacrifices, then we need to find ways to locate the Darach,” Talia replied.

“My information may not be of much help, but with my connection to leylines, I can confidently state that the Darach is by no means anywhere near focal points of magic at the moment,” Queen Daphne spoke.  “In preparation for the eclipse, she would want to conserve her dark powers as much as possible, and since she already has in her custody the last group of sacrifices, I would expect she would lay low and make her next appearance on the night of the eclipse itself.”

“Meaning the fate of Beacon Hills now lies in the hands of three teenagers and whether they could find their parents in time. Great,” Peter drawled, as Laura, Derek, and Kevin glared at him. Talia just rubbed her fingers on her temples.

“I hope I do you no discourtesy, but I hope you would excuse me as I take my leave. I must get back to my fellow fae,” Queen Daphne continued.

Talia gave her a warm look. “Of course. We’d like to thank you for your assistance tonight against the Darach. We didn’t mean to inconvenience you so much.”

The fae queen laughed loftily. “I assure you, Alpha Hale, you have done us more favors than we could ever repay. Well then, I must take my leave. Please deliver my well wishes to Alpha McCall, Emissary Stilinski, and the Argent huntress on their success to find their parents. Good evening, Alpha Hale.”

For a quick moment, Queen Daphne’s eyes strayed towards Liam and Theo’s direction. Her lips quirked upwards in a small smile, and with quick turn on her heel, the fae queen faded into nothing, leaving nothing but a trail of flickering mana behind to dissolve in the air.

~

A moment later, someone’s phone’s loud ringtone pierced their silence. Derek took his phone out and answered the call, quickly putting it on speaker for everyone to hear the conversation more easily.

“Isaac, how are things back at the school?” Derek asked.

“It’s fine, everyone’s okay. The concert continued and finished in time, but a lot of the people were pretty much out of it. We got witches, selkies, and werewolves saying they felt off with the chanting as well, but one of the girls here who’s a siren descendant says that the chant was harmless as it was, and was probably played as a battle hymn to power whoever orchestrated it.”

“It would explain why the Darach was so strong, other than the fact that she already was four groups of sacrifices down the line,” Laura muttered.

“Danny says he doesn’t even remember performing the chant. None of the orchestra club members do. But don’t worry, nobody’s harmed. We’re all headed home, but we could all head to wherever you are if you need us,” Isaac continued, “we heard Lydia’s scream. What happened? Derek?”

Derek took a deep breath before replying. “Melissa, the Sheriff, and Argent were kidnapped as the last group of sacrifices. Lydia’s scream was in self-defense, nobody’s dead.”

“What?” Liam could hear the disbelief in Isaac’s voice, “how? Where’s Scott? Stiles? Where’s Allison? How’s Lydia?” Liam could also hear the scuffle on Isaac’s side, which he assumed was the rest of the pack in proximity to hear the call.

“They’re fine. We’re at my family’s house. Mom and the Council are taking care of it.”

“Got it. We’re on our way.”

“No. No, Isaac. Go back to the loft with Erica and Boyd. The rest of you go home as well,” Derek said, knowing the rest of the pack could hear, “we’ll talk tomorrow.”

“But –”

“Isaac,” Lydia spoke, stopping Isaac from continuing, “we’re a little worn down at the moment, but I promise you we’ll fill you all in tomorrow. Tell Jackson to wait for me at the parking lot. I’ll have Derek drive me back there, so Jackson could drive me back home in my car and take Liam and Theo back to their house.”

“Okay...Yeah, okay, that was Jackson, he says he’ll wait. Are you okay Lydia?” Isaac asked.

“Throat’s a bit sore, but nothing a little rest won’t fix.”

“We’re fine Isaac,” Derek continued, “now go home and rest.”

“...Alright Derek. See you tomorrow,” Derek returned the words and ended the call, pocketing his phone. Liam understood the Isaac’s hesitance to end the call with such few explanations, but given their current situation, there wasn’t much they could say that wouldn’t send the rest of the pack running to the Hale house.

“Well, that takes care of that,” Lydia said, a sigh passing her lips. “Derek?”

The older man nodded as he walked over to Lydia’s side, with Lydia beckoning Liam and Theo over. Talia threw them a kind smile.

“Go on home, kids. The rest of the Council will take care of what needs to be done.”

With that, Liam and Theo found themselves in the backseat of Derek’s Camaro, headed back to school before heading on home.

~

Liam’s hand was barely on the handle when Theo rushed out the car, walking briskly up the steps of the Geyer’s residence. He could see Jackson raise an eyebrow at him through the rear view mirror.

“Somebody’s mad,” Jackson said, trying to keep the teasing tone to a minimum but failing.

“Not at you though,” Lydia said to Liam, then gave Jackson a look from beside the driver’s seat. “You should go and talk it out,” she said, turning back to Liam.

Liam could only nod before he exited the car and made his way to his house, the sound of Lydia’s car being driven by Jackson disappearing round the corner moments later. He found Theo standing by the porch, absently staring with passive intensity at the door like it personally offended him.

Liam reached into his pocket and fished out his keys to unlock the door, and the two of them went inside the house, Theo making his way to the staircase wordlessly.

“Theo,” Liam called out to him. Theo ignored him, climbing up the stairs at an unrushed yet uninterrupted pace.

Liam stood at the bottom of the staircase as he heard the door to his parents’ room door click shut, and he was left alone in the darkness of his house with someone who didn’t want to talk.

With not much of a choice, Liam made his way upstairs, silently walking to his room. Liam opened the door and looked at the mess inside, just as they left it this morning, which had felt so long ago already.

His bedroom floor was still littered with notes from Stiles and Allison yesterday, papers filled with Theo’s handwritten translations for the notes, and books that he and Theo read up on from the last week. With tonight’s events, it was almost bizarre to think that just yesterday he and Theo spent the day lazing around in this very room, living life like they were normal, non-supernatural teenage kids.

With nothing but the soft glow of moonlight casting a faint illumination in his room, Liam flicked on the lamp by his table to see his room better, and crouched down and collected books and papers on the ground, grouping together Stiles and Allison’s notes and Theo’s translations. He set the papers and books on his table after organizing it, movements slow and distracted. His eyes lingered on the dried pot of flowers that this universe’s Mason left for him, and he couldn’t help but think how tonight was just unfair.

He walked over to his window and drew the curtains. Looking out at the street, the town looked so peaceful, like any other small town you wouldn’t think anything bad happened to. It was unfair, Liam thought, how this version of Beacon Hills was just as messed up as theirs were – okay, maybe not as tragedy-filled, but it was a town where a lot happened, too.

Liam wondered if somewhere out there, there was a universe where Beacon Hills was just a regular small town where nothing happened. Where Scott was just Scott, and Stiles was his best friend, and Lydia was just the popular girl who dated Jackson, and Allison was her best friend. Where Isaac was just an artist, and Erica was the town’s rebellious kind of girl, and Melissa, the Sheriff, Argent, and the Hales just had normal jobs.

No unexplained animal attacks, no increasing numbers of murder, no evil hunters or druids that forced them into situations that had them continually making hard and almost impossible decisions every other day.

Maybe in that universe, he and Theo would be alive. Maybe they’d even know each other, or better yet, they’d be friends, not because they kept saving each other from getting killed, but because they had something in common and did normal stuff together, like study for exams and go to school together.

And Liam dared to think that maybe, in another universe, they could be something, too.

“You’re brooding too loudly.”

Liam startled and turned to look at his door, where Theo had changed into a loose shirt and pajama pants. “I could hear you angsting all the way to your parents’ room. Stop pacing, your footsteps are noisy. Get changed and go to sleep Liam.”

“You’re mad at me,” Liam said a beat later.

Theo sighed. “I’m not mad at you.”

“You didn’t like that I suggested that Scott and the others do the ritual to save their parents.”

“There could’ve been a better way.”

“Yeah. There could be.” Liam didn’t want to remind Theo that they didn’t have the time to look for another way at the moment – both of them knew it; there wasn’t a need for its constant reminder.

Liam stared at Theo who just looked absently past him, like he was looking at some point outside his window, something he couldn’t see.

“They don’t deserve it,” Theo said after a while.

“They don’t,” Liam agreed, “and I’m mad about the situation too.”

Theo scoffed. Now Liam just felt insulted. “What, you don’t believe me? You think if I knew there was another way for them to find the Nemeton, I would suggest the only method we knew? After everything’s that’s happened to my Scott and Stiles, me almost killing Scott and Stiles getting wiped out of existence for a while, you think I enjoy seeing them suffer?”

At that, Theo didn’t have a reply.

“I know you think I made the stupid choice of even suggesting the stuff I did, but you don’t have to make it sound as if I didn’t care. I’m not a sociopath, Theo. I’m not someone who enjoys watching others suffer as long as it doesn’t affect me. I’m not that cruel. I’m not like –”

 _I’m not like you._ Liam didn’t have to finish his sentence for Theo to get the message. The chimera glared at him before pushing himself off the doorway and turning around.

“Glad to know your opinions of me haven’t changed much,” Theo gritted out, already walking down the hallway.

Liam jogged after him, stopping by his room’s doorway. “Theo –”

“You know why I was pissed you opened your mouth and fed them that idea of the ritual?” Theo turned around to face Liam, his face an expression of frustration and hurt, “it’s because for a second, I actually thought this could be the version of reality where shit like this never happens. Yeah, sure a lot of things happen here too, but nothing twisted like _connecting_ _their souls to a supernatural tree_. And it’s shit like this that I don’t ever want to happen in a place so good as this – where they’re whole, and happy, and they trust each other and they trust _us_ , because they don’t deserve it. _They don’t deserve it, Liam._ Not this.”

Liam was stunned. He expected himself to grow a little attached to this universe, but he didn’t expect Theo to grow so fond, much less concerned, about the alternate universe they weirdly found themselves in.

“I didn’t want something like that happening in a world we could be living in.”

Liam found himself breathless. _Them? Live here?_

“We? You'd want us to stay here?” Liam asked, his voice cracking at the end, wonder creeping into his voice. Theo, however, misinterpreted his question.

The chimera laughed bitterly. “But then I’m reminded: _oh yeah, this isn’t our world. Liam has his own pack back home, why would he want to stay here when he could be with his own pack? Why would he care so much about a world he’d leave sometime soon anyway? Why would he even want to stay with me when he could be with his actual pack?_ ”

“Theo, that’s not it at all –”

“Then tell me, do you want to stay here, where the pack is whole but you have no parents or Mason, or do you want to go back to our universe, where everything is broken, but all is where it should be?

And for the second time tonight, Liam thinks it’s unfair, because no matter what answer he gives Theo, he would be giving him a lie.

How can he choose between the two? How do you choose between the two versions of the best thing that’s ever happened in his life?

Theo took Liam’s silence as his answer.

“That’s what I’m pissed about,” Theo said quietly. “How you act like this,” he gestured his hands to the house. Everything. “Like this is the best thing ever, knowing you’d leave it anyway, because it’s a world with no Liam Dunbar anymore, and it’s just not the same.”

“And you would stay,” Liam replied.

“Maybe I would. Maybe I wouldn’t. But least this world gives me a reason to.”

And Liam wanted to say that he could give him a thousand more reasons why they should go back together to their own universe. He wanted to tell him about him sleeping in his room. Chasing each other’s nightmares away. Playing lacrosse. Eating at diners late at night. Running into each other in town when they least expect it, or when they meant to see each other. Saving each other.

College. _A future_ – a world of thousands of possibilities they could explore, something this world where they’re dead can’t offer them.

It makes sense in Liam’s head, but putting all those into words felt wrong, like he wouldn’t say enough, or sound convincing enough, or just be _enough_.

And Liam thinks: no, this whole argument was about how Scott, Stiles, and Allison were following a sequence of events they’d know would end badly, and how they helped push them in the direction that would spell bad for everyone in this universe, knowingly ruining the goodness they have here.

That was the point of this argument, wasn’t it?

Or was that not the only point? Was it about him and Theo too?

The silence between them stretched on, and Theo turned on his heel to walk away.

“We’re both tired. Go to sleep Liam.”

Theo went back inside the master’s bedroom, leaving Liam stranded by his doorway with nothing but more questions than answers. Liam turned away from the hallway and turned to his room, and in the exact place where Theo stood just moments ago, he tries to see what the chimera saw through his window.

But what Liam could see from where he stood wasn’t just the window – it was his room, with the unmade bed and the scattered papers, and the scent of the two of them in this place. He could see himself standing by the desk just as Theo probably saw him, and now from where he was, he could almost see Theo by the foot of his bed, paper in his hands as he scribbled on it, and he would be in bed, engrossed in a book about history.

And Liam thinks – _god he thinks it now_ – that it doesn’t matter where they were, as long they were together, and it wouldn’t be a lie at all. He wants to dash from his room and tell this to Theo, this very exact thought in these very exact words, but he also knows it’s late.

Maybe even too late.

So Liam entered his room and closed the door, plopping himself down at the foot of his bed where Theo sat last night, thinking how short the distance was between his room and where Theo was, yet he feels like he’s lost him a little already tonight.


End file.
